Caving In
by ColdCoffee123
Summary: Piper's co-owned business moves into a new space, and she soon becomes familiar with an employee of the gym in the opposite building who happens to be a personal trainer. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Piper decides it wouldn't hurt to receive some guidance in regards to working on her core...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Everyone,**

 **Here's a new story I've decided to write. I'm from London, so bare with me if anything is inaccurate when delving into the story's American setting...!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It's 11:00 pm and Piper Chapman is still stacking shelves. Her white sleeveless vest top hugs her torso; her ripped blue shorts reveal her long, toned legs, as white beaten-up Converse trainers cover her feet. Her hair, tied up in a messy bun, tickles her neck, while framing her baby blue eyes, well-sculpted eyebrows, and prominent jawline.

At the age of 26, Piper Chapman co-owns her own artisanal soap shop with her best friend, Polly Harper. The pair met at Smith College - Piper studying English, Polly studying Marketing, and being that they were roommates for 3 years, covering their fair share of break-ups, late-night phone calls, and all-nighters, the two formed an inviolable friendship. What started as a hobby soon became a money-making opportunity; having gone from making soap in Polly's kitchen to owning their first shop in Brooklyn, it's fair to say that their company, PoPi - an _original_ neologism, is evolving. The pair purchased the space to build their new adventure, and for the past week, having been working endlessly to set-up and start making a sustainable living, they are tired of being within the confines of the same four walls, surrounded by cardboard boxes and rolls of bubble wrap, to which a day off seems like a viable luxury.

"Pipes I'm heading home and I think you should too."

Relieved to hear an invitation to go home, Piper turns to face her best friend, who, regardless of the amount of coffee consumed, has bulging bags under her brown eyes, betraying her die-hard working attitude.

"Thanks Pol - I'm just about done over here. You go, I'll lock up."

"Are you sure?" Replies the tired brunette,"We can go together and I'll drive."

"Positive," Piper just about mumbles through a yawn, "my apartment's only a 15 minute walk away. Don't wait up for me."

As she watches her business partner wave goodbye and leave, a wave of tiredness washes over. She packs up, attempts to tidy the space (to no prevail), collects her belongings, and leaves the premises, locking up after herself. When she puts on her jacket and turns to begin her journey home along what seems like a fairly desolate street at this late hour, her eye is caught by movement from across the street. The fairly modern looking building's glass door slams and the sound of keys jangle, as, under the illumination of the street lights, Piper can just about make out a person facing the opposite direction. Having been caught up in figuring out whether she's witnessing a mid-night raid or a mere coincidence, Piper is startled as the person talks:

"Take a picture. It'll last longer."

The husky voice, rich with wit, projects across the street, as the person turns around and approaches the edge of the pavement they're standing on. Piper, stunned by the sudden situation she's found herself in, can now make out that the said person is a female. Even from afar you can make out her beauty. Secretary glasses adorn her milky-coloured face; her jet-black hair falls perfectly over her shoulders, while her tall figure is adorned by a plain white t-shirt, a black pair of skinny jeans, and a black leather jacket, all of which are matched with dark combat boots.

Embarrassed having been caught staring, Piper's eyes snap towards the building behind the woman. The sign, reading _Gym and Bear it_ , makes her chuckle, leading to the formation of a plethora of questions regarding the nature of the building's occupants, as well as the mysterious woman approaching her.

 _Holy shit she's approaching me_ , Piper thinks to herself, and before she has the chance to assess how to deal with the unfolding situation, the woman stands face-to-face before her, having crossed the empty street.

"So you must be new around here. I would remember a face like yours any day."

"Um…" Piper stammers as her cheeks flush a light rose,"Well, I've lived in the area for a while, but my partner and I decided it was time to expand our business."

"Ah, I see." Replied the brunette, a smug smirk decorating her lips - ones the blonde finds herself drawn to, perhaps causing her to staring for too long - not that she'd be willing to admit that.

"PoPi," the brunette states, looking up at the shop's sign. "Let me guess: you sell flowers and are awful at spelling?"

"No, we -"

"You sell candles?"

"No, we -"

"Cardboard boxes?"

The blonde's eyebrows furrow at the latest suggestion. "Why would we sell cardboard boxes?"

The brunette's head tilts towards the shop's window, where the remains of the blonde's failed cleaning are visible, her smirk growing. "I'm only kidding," says the brunette, having seen the blonde huff out in frustration. "Seriously, what do you sell?"

"Artisanal soap. We started in my partner's kitchen, but when the orders increased and the space became limited, we took the plunge and bought this place," she said, pointing at the building.

"I may have to pop by sometime, you know, to scope out the new neighbours."

"You just might," states the blonde, her lips upturning to reveal her perfect teeth and enchanting dimples. "What is it that you do over there anyway?"

"If you couldn't already tell, I work at a gym," said the brunette, raising her arm towards her workplace. "I'm a personal trainer."

Piper, seemingly stunned by the new information, takes the time to scan over the brunette's torso. Her arms show definition through her tightly-fitted jacket, as do her sharp collar bones, which are revealed due to the low-cut of her t-shirt. The low-cut of her said t-shirt catches Piper's eye in particular, as she finds herself staring at the brunette's ample cleavage.

"You should drop by for a session sometime," the brunette's invitation causes the blonde to rip her eyes upwards, hoping she hadn't been caught mid-check out. "The first one's free."

Her cheeks increasingly flush under the gaze of the stunning green eyes and now toothy smile examining her.

"I may have to do just that."

The pair's staring match is interrupted by the chime of the blonde's phone. Reaching into her pocket, the screen of her iPhone shows a message from Polly, checking if she's at home yet.

"I should get going. It was really nice to meet you..."

" _Alex_. Alex Vause." The brunette says, extending her hand.

"Piper Chapman." The blonde replies, grabbing Alex's outstretched hand, shaking it thoroughly, trying to ignore the sudden jolt in her stomach.

"Well Ms Chapman, I hope you'll take me up on my offer," the brunette says winking, showing her well-aligned top row of teeth, "I'll see you around."

And with that, before she has the chance to reply, Piper watches the gorgeous brunette, who she now knows as _Alex_ , descend off in the opposite direction. Placing her hands into her jacket pockets, Piper tilts her head towards the pavement, smiling to herself as she starts to walk home, seemingly curious about her new acquaintance.

* * *

By the time Piper arrives home, it's nearing midnight; tired from the day's events, she gets ready and heads to bed. Despite her incessant yawning and evident tiredness, she can't sleep. In what feels like its working into overdrive, her brain is overwhelmed with thoughts of a certain brunette, something that's impeding her much-needed calling for asleep. Frustrated that she can't sleep, Piper gets out of bed to retrieve her laptop. Soon returning under the covers, she props up a pillow to support her lower back, as she sits against the headboard with her laptop resting on the top of her thighs. Opening a new browser, she takes a deep breath and starts typing into the search engine: _Alex Vause_.

The results, as expected, were limited. The website of the gym she works for only lists her name, age, which she learns is 29 - _workable,_ Piper thinks, the phone number that rings her office directly - _interesting_ , and her work email address - _even better_. Saving the page to her bookmarks, convincing herself she needs the information should she have any questions if she were to take Alex up on her offer, Piper exits the page and clicks on the 'images' section of the Google search.

Again, as expected, no immediate pictures of the brunette appeared on the screen; however, after scrolling down the page, Piper found what she was looking for. The picture showed the brunette and three other females, who she assumed were her friends, with their arms linked around one another's shoulders, smiling into the camera. Alex stood on the end towards the left of the picture, evidently much taller than her companions, especially the wild-haired blonde female to her right. The brunette, dressed in a Nike sports tank top, a pair of matching leggings and running shoes - _perhaps she had just come from work_ , looked stunning. Her arm muscles, which Piper could now make out much clearer, were deliciously toned - the tensed position of her right arm displayed her muscular bicep and rose tattoo as she held a beer bottle, and her face, again framed with glasses, beamed with a smile that revealed her chiseled jawline and highlighted her arched eyebrows. After staring at the picture for what she deemed a sufficient amount of time, Piper began to feel a jolt in her stomach - similar to the one she felt earlier, and decided this was a sign to stop before she got too ahead of herself. Putting the laptop away and returning back to bed with her pillow now in its original position, Piper contemplated what her curiosity - and evident attraction - for Alex meant.

Throughout her life, Piper was always taught to do what society expects of her. Her parents, who are boldly conservative, never particularly supported her soap ventures with Polly, nor did they support her single life that lacked a male companion, whereby her mother frequently refers to her ebbing fertility and its correlation with getting older. Although she has been with a few men; in college she dabbled around with one or two women - all of which were nothing more than drunken kisses however.

Piper can admit to herself when she sees an attractive woman, yet chooses to ignore her instincts. She briefly shared the details of her minimal girl-on-girl college experiences with Polly while they were roommates, but that was soon dismissed and pinned down to being her _mid-college experimental phase_ , and nothing occurred since. Piper, although seemingly straight due to only being with and dating men in the past, was thrown off target by meeting Alex today. As sleep begins to find her, she begins to wonder why the said brunette had such an effect on her, hoping her curiosity doesn't get the better of her.


	2. Chapter 2

It's 6:30am when Alex's alarm disturbs her from her sleep. Rolling over, she reaches over to her nightstand, grabs her iPhone, and checks her schedule of appointments for today, the first of which, she figures out, is at 9:30am, along with a second at 1pm. _Plenty of time_ , she thinks to herself. Getting up and moving into her en-suite, she strips down and gets into the shower.

Letting the hot water soak her body, Alex can't help but think back to a certain blonde who haunted her dreams. She can't quite put her finger on it, but she's eager to know more about the timid blonde, and can't help but hope that she takes her up on her offer.

Having showered and changed into her work clothes, consisting of a black _Gym and Bear It_ polo top, which, in white lettering, states 'Personal Trainer' on the back, short Nike navy shorts, and white running shoes, she exits her bedroom, walks along her hallway, and into the kitchen. She brews a coffee from her state of the art machine and begins to make herself a bowl of cereal, all of which is inhaled while sitting on a swinging stool at the kitchen's breakfast bar. Looking at the clock, which now reads _8:00_ , she leaves the remains of her breakfast in the sink, _I'll deal with that later_ , grabs a banana, and returns to her bedroom. Picking up the backpack she takes to work, the brunette packs her belongings - checking she has everything she needs, and leaves her apartment.

Having lived in Brooklyn all her life, Alex knows the area like the back of her hand. She was raised by her single mother, Diane, who worked 3 jobs just to pay the bills and keep food on the table. When in high school, Alex was often the victim of bullying due to her lack of wealth and her sexuality, which often led to violent outbursts when confronting her enemies. As imagined, this didn't go unnoticed, and having been suspended on several occasions, she was sent to a boxing gym to control her anger. Although Alex's temper developed due to the bullying she faced, her mentor, Galina, who she refers to as _Red_ , was her saving grace. They developed an unbreakable bond, and from then onwards, Alex became enthralled with the world of training and fitness, something that led her down the career path she followed.

Having received a scholarship through the gym at Columbia University, she studied _Sport and Exercise Science_ , receiving a Bachelor of Science degree, and then went on to complete her Master's in _Exercise Physiology_. Since graduating, the brunette moved into her own apartment in Brooklyn, that is both close enough to visit her mother, who is about 40 minutes away, and travel to work. Her best friend, who was also her roommate at college, Nicky Nichols, works as a physiotherapist, and with their budding ambition, along with the help of the riches of Nicky's inheritance and Alex's surprise inheritance money from the death of her absent father, the pair established their own company: _Gym and Bear It_. Its location is a convenient 15 minute walk away from the brunette's apartment, and having worked endlessly for the last 3 years, business is booming.

Alex arrives at the gym at 8:15, opening the glass door, but before continues into the building, she feels set of eyes on her. Turning her head to face the building behind her, _PoPi_ , she looks into the open display, due to its large glass windows, and can indeed identify the set of eyes that she could feel burning into her. Raising her arm that isn't holding the door, she waves across at her new neighbour, enjoying the flustered reaction she receives, as the blonde raises her hand to wave back, dropping a cardboard box in the process. Chucking to herself, Alex enters her workplace, _this'll be interesting_ , she thinks to herself.

* * *

"I just think that we should put those on this shelf. What do you think?" Says the frustrated brunette. "Pipes… Piper," she shouts, waving her hands in front of the blonde, who is standing behind the till, seemingly looking distracted by something outside the shop's front window.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Says the blonde, confused as to why she's being shouted at.

"You've been off the ball all morning; you keep looking out the windows. Are you expecting someone?"

"No. I'm perfectly fine. Not waiting for anyone. Why would you think that?" The blonde responds rapidly, feeling uncomfortable under Polly's glare.

"Because everytime the door opens over the road, your head snaps up." Says the brunette, brown eyes widening as the blonde tries to compose herself.

"Uh.. I'm just -"

"Cut the shit, Piper! Just tell me." Declares the brunette, eager to know what's caught her partner's eye.

"Well yesterday when I was closing, I met one of the employees at the gym over the road," she says, pointing ahead, "and they invited me to a free personal training session. I'm just trying to see when they arrive so, you know, I can take them up on their offer."

Polly, who seemed to believe the blonde, just nods saying, "Well why don't you go over there when you finish instead of staring at a glass door and not doing anything productive. We're meant to open on Monday, and in case you didn't know, today's Thursday." Before retreating into the stockroom.

20 minutes later, Piper's been tasked with stacking the shelf closest to the door, and with Polly now working on papers in her office, her peripheral vision focuses on the time of Alex's arrival. _What if she's already at work? What if i've already missed her?_ While she, in true Chapman style, overthinks the situation, the gym's door opens once again, this time, by the brunette who's been on her mind since they met the evening prior. Before she has the chance to look away and appear busy, she's been caught. With a smile on her face, the brunette waves in Piper's direction, and as she lifts a hand to respond, her silver watch catches on the cardboard box she's holding, knocking it, along with its contents, onto the floor.

"Shit!" The blonde screams, and as she looks up, the smirking brunette retreats into her building. _For once can I not make such a fucking fool of myself?_

While placing the bars of soap she dropped onto the floor onto the shelf, Piper can't help but wonder what Alex thinks of her after she just made a complete ass of herself. Checking her watch, internally cursing its jutted out edge that caught on the cardboard box, she sees that the time reads as 8:21. Sighing that her shift ends in just over 7 hours, Piper tries to distract herself from her thoughts of the brunette, hoping things won't be awkward between them in person.

* * *

By the time it's 3:30pm, Alex is in her office, typing up an email over to her previous client with a list of exercises to be carried out at home.

"Stretch there's someone asking for you at the reception," says her blonde wild-haired best friend, having stormed into her office, "I'm guessing it's another one of your late night conquests that's gotten too attached," she says laughing, as she turns around and leaves the room before Alex can form a reply. Sending the email and locking her computer, Alex leaves the office, descending the stairs, and heads towards reception.

Upon her journey to the front desk, Alex hears Lorna, the receptionist, who also happens to be Nicky's girlfriend, talking to a familiar voice, and when that said person comes into her view, Alex is positively surprised.

Standing opposite her is the one and only Piper Chapman, wearing a maroon t-shirt, black skinny jeans and white Converse trainers, with her shoulder length blonde hair loose. Compared to their first encounter and this morning's box episode, she looked nervous, and Alex can't help but wonder if that has something to do with her.

"Piper! It's great to see you again. How can I help?" The brunette queries, displaying a toothy smile, choosing to ignore the box encounter.

"Alex, hi! I was just, you know, uh... wondering if I could take you up on your invitation?" she says, her hands fiddling with the strap of her bag.

"Of course! Let me give you a tour of the place." The brunette replies, trying to avoid the questioning eyes of Lorna, given that brunette doesn't normally give tours to her clients.

The brunette leads the way, showing the blonde all of the various rooms and pieces of equipment, briefly explaining what is it that they do, and which are her personal favourites. Although she's only showing the blonde around, Alex can't help but feel content when conversing with Piper; conversation is very easy, and by the end of the tour, Alex can't help but want to know more about the blonde.

Turning to face Piper, Alex confidently asks, "Why don't we head up to my office so that we can draft a training plan together?"

"Isn't this meant to be my first session?" asks the blonde, "Well, if you don't have somebody else coming to, you know, um train?"

"Just you for the rest of the day. Let's just think of this as an introduction - next time can be your first session." The brunette's eyes scan the length of Piper's frame, "I like to familiarise myself with my clients' preferences." She finishes with a smirk, her emerald eyes meeting the slightly smaller woman's blue ones.

"Well you're the boss." The blonde responds through a polite smile, all the while Alex tries to contain herself as her stomach clenches at the coincidental double entendre; touching her companion's arm, she leads the way.

 _Was she just checking me out? What does she mean by the 'rest of the day'?,_ thinks Piper, but before she can get caught up in her thoughts, she's interrupted:

"Here we are," declares the brunette as she opens the door to her, surprisingly spacious, office and moves towards her computer, "but don't get too comfortable; we won't be staying."

"Why? Where're we going?"

Through a smug smirk, the brunette looks up from her computer, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

Piper, having previously relaxed in the other woman's company, felt her anxiety increasing. What she assumed would be a quick gym session quickly turned into a mysterious outing, and she can't help but wonder what this could mean in regards to getting to know Alex. When the brunette asks if she's ready, the blonde nods, and the pair leave the building, Alex ignoring the questioning comments from the front desk.

"Is this the part where you murder me?" Asks Piper, as the pair walk along the pavement, still unsure as to where they're going.

"Why would I want to murder a beautiful woman like yourself?" the taller of the two women replies, turning her head to make eye contact.

As she opens her mouth to reply, the blonde is cut off, _why does this always happen_?

"We're here." states the brunette, grabbing the blonde's hand and pulling her into the coffee shop, where they both order coffees to drink in, and move to sit in a secluded booth towards the back if the shop.

"So, Piper Chapman, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Your story."

"Well, I can't say it's the most interesting one; I'm 26, was raised in Connecticut by my parents along with my two brothers, Cal and Danny. I went Smith to study English, graduated, moved to Brooklyn, and now I make soap for a living." The blonde lets out a self-deprecating laugh, "What about yourself?"

"I'm 29, born and raised in Brooklyn," the brunette says in an animated voice after taking a sip of coffee, "It was always just my mom and I living together. We didn't have much money, but got by. I received a scholarship to Columbia, studied _Sport and Exercise Science_ , and then did my Master's in _Exercise Physiology_ \- it's not as exciting as it sounds. I've worked at the gym for the last 3 years with my best friend -"

"Oh, the lady from the front desk?

"No, more like the loud-mouthed blonde one, Nicky. She's a physio and right pain in the ass, but the lady from the front desk, Lorna, happens to be her girlfriend. We bought the building together, and believe me, I didn't choose the name," she says, letting out a chuckle.

"I can appreciate a good pun when I see one."

"Of course you can, English major."

After a period of silence, something dawns upon the blonde, "Wait - you own the gym?"

"I'm afraid that I do. Why? Is that a problem."

"Oh no, not at all. I just... I -"

"I'm just joking, Piper." replies the brunette, leaning backwards in her seat as the blonde lets out a relieved sigh.

"Do you do this with all your clients? Take them to coffee and quiz them about their lives?"

"Something along those lines."

The blonde can't seem to take her eyes away from the brunette, who, under the natural light shining through the coffee shop windows, looks even more attractive than she did yesterday - if that's even begins to think about her last romantic relationship - something that ended 2 years ago and lasted for 6 months. She never felt this instant connection with any of her ex-boyfriends, and she wasn't sure if that fact scared her or encouraged her. But what did scare her the most, is that her mind, at the mere sight of Alex, drifted towards more romantic conquests.

"So, what body parts do you want me to work on?" The brunette asks with a hint of flirtation.

"Excuse me?" The blonde responds, leaning forwards, shocked by her companion's forwardness.

"For your training programme." Through a deep chuckle, she goes on to ask, "What did you think I was talking about?"

"Yeah, of course - the training programme," the blonde utters back, her cheeks now burning a bright rose. "Well, I'd probably say my legs, arms and core."

"So you mean everything." says the brunette, trying hard not to laugh.

"Are you always like this?"

Her eyebrows raise, "Like what?"

"Pretentiously picking out the flaws in everything people say."

"Well, customer satisfaction is very high on my to-do list, along with a few other things _to do_." She says, eyes raking over the blonde's chest.

Piper's cheeks, if possible, blushed a brighter shade of red - the double entendre not slipping her mind, "Well I'm sure you have plenty of things _to do_." _Two can play at this game_ , she thinks.

"And what do you suggest I _do_ , Ms Chapman?"

Using her tongue, the blonde slowly wet her lips, catching Alex's eyes on her in the process, and begins to answer, but she's interrupted by a vibrating mobile, _what is it with us and phones_?, thinks the blonde. Reaching into her pocket, and looking down at her phone, the brunette receives a text from Nicky asking where she is.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah - it's just Nicky asking when I'll be back." Checking the time on her phone, which reads 5:30 - the brunette realises the pair were gone longer than anticipated.

"We can head back if you need to. I should get going home anyway."

"Let me walk you home. It's the least I can do."

"If that's what you wish _to do_ , Ms Vause." States the blonde, her voice flirtatious.

As the pair leave the coffee shop and walk towards Piper's home, the brunette can't help but ask:

"So, who's this business partner of yours?"

"My best friend, Polly - we were roommates at college and I just can't seem to get rid of her." The blonde laughs, her head tilting, revealing the tendons in her neck.

"Ah so this Polly isn't your _partner_ _partner_?"

"Oh God no - now that would be a sight for sore eyes." At the thought, the blonde laughs even harder; the brunette's convinced she could get used to the sound of Piper's laugh, not that she'd voice that feeling. "I've been single now for 2 years. I just haven't had the time for dating, you know? It just seems like all of the guys out there are either dicks or boring as hell."

"Yeah, I get you. Except I can't really relate to the whole 'finding the right guy front'. All the women around here get too attached for my liking."

"I'm sure you'll find your woman one day. " Says the blonde, biting her lower lip as her pulse races from Alex revealing she's attracted to women.

"I'm sure I will."

"Here we are." Piper says, pointing at her apartment. "Thank you for coffee and walking me home, Alex."

"It was my pleasure. So we're on for your appointment tomorrow? How's 4pm?"

"4pm's great."

"Here, "Alex says passing her phone over to the blonde, "add your number - I'll let you know if anything changes."

After typing in her number, Piper returns the phone, "Is there anything you need me to bring?"

"Just yourself will do," replies Alex, "oh, and maybe a towel - with what I have planned, you might be needing it. I'll see you tomorrow, kid."

With that, the brunette turns and leaves, stunning Piper with the sudden imagery of herself and Alex sweating as a result of other… unorthodox activities.

* * *

By 10pm, when lying in bed, Piper can't help but think about Alex. The way she passionately spoke about her profession, the way she confidently holds herself in a conversation, and especially, not to forget, the revelation that she is indeed gay. Her attention is grabbed as her phone buzzes from the nightstand. Picking it up, she sees a text from an unknown number.

 _ **Unknown: It was nice getting to know you today, Piper. I thought I'd give you my number in case you have any questions before we meet again tomorrow. -A**_

 _ **Piper: I had a wonderful time today, Alex. I'll let you know if I have any questions, thanks. -P**_

Saving the unknown number as _Alex_ in her phone, Piper puts her phone back onto the nightstand. Her thoughts again return to the sultry brunette, and the increasingly flirtatious dialogue they shared throughout the day. With vivid images swirling around her head consisting of herself and the brunette in rather compromising positions, Piper's right hand slides down her torso and into her pants. Her head lolls backwards, as her back arches and her throat lets out a croaky moan.

As the blonde allows herself to explore her Alex-filled fantasy, little does she know that she isn't the only one doing some exploring.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the kind reviews, everyone. Let me know if you have any ideas as the story unfolds!**

* * *

Piper and Polly have been working at PoPi for the past 6 hours, having started at 7am, and as they begin to tire, they take a break and head out for lunch. The pair get into Piper's red convertible Mini Cooper, who drives them to a nearby restaurant, where they sit and order their meals.

"We really need to spend more time on us, Pipes."

"I know, Pol. You know with the opening coming up, that seems near impossible. I barely get any time for myself anymore." The blonde says, almost as though defeated.

"We should go out one evening after opening - I can bring Pete, and he has a friend you might like to meet...", she says, her tone rising in question.

"Oh I don't know about that." Piper responds, uncertain with the prospect of Polly trying to set her up again.

"When's the last time you've been with someone, Piper?" Polly asks; Piper can see where this is going.

"Polly you know I don't have the time for dating, I -"

"When's the last time you've been with someone other than your own hand?"

"Um," the blonde ponders on whether she should tell the truth, deciding she should be honest with her best friend, "I'd say about a year and a half."

"A YEAR AND A HALF!" shouts Polly, "What about the guy with the -"

"Nope."

"Or the one with the -"

"No." The blonde looks down at her hands, which are clasped together on the table, "I just haven't had the time to find my person. Someone who I want to spend time with, not just to have sex with."

"Well you certainly have more restraint than me," she laughs, "but I'm being serious. Come out with us next week. I'll make it worth your while," the brunette says, revealing a mischievous smile.

"How so?"

"Like the _you can have the next day off from work_ kind of favour."

"Deal," says the blonde without hesitation, seeming more excited by the possibility of a day off rather than going out with Polly, her boyfriend, and his friend.

10 minutes later, their food arrives, and conversation quickly shifts to Piper's spacing out the day before.

"So did you go to the gym yesterday, considering it had you in a daze all day yesterday?"

"I wasn't in a daze all day." the blonde replies defensively.

"Oh you weren't?" the brunette asks, her eyebrows raised in question, "Because I could have sworn you barely got anything done, and don't think I didn't hear you dropping things all over the place."

With her cheeks slightly flushed, choosing to ignore the last comment, the blonde complies, "I wouldn't say I was in a daze _all day_ , but yes, I did.

"And…"

"And it was… nice."

"Nice. Doing exercise was nice? Come on Pipes, what really happened?"

Not wanting to reveal the facts of what actually happened, the blonde carefully replies, "I had a tour of the place, met some of the staff, and then went to coffee to make a training plan with the personal trainer." Albeit the last part was more of a white lie, Piper wasn't ready to be quizzed by her best friend for going out with Alex.

"Oh, so you went to coffee?" says the brunette, a knowing smile covering her face, "And may I ask what this personal trainer's called? Is he hot?"

"Alex," not quite ready to correct Polly on her pronoun usage, she debates her next line, eventually delivering it in a dreamy voice, "who is _insanely_ hot."

"About time you show interest in someone - don't fuck this up, Piper. Get your moody ass laid!"

"Polly!" the blonde shouts, hitting her friend on the arm, trying to hold back a laugh. "I have my first session this afternoon, so, as you so kindly put it, I will try my best not to fuck it up."

Receiving a smile from Polly, the blonde feels content, happy to be sharing some quality time with her best friend that doesn't revolve around making soap, although a small part of her is guilty about hiding some of the details. Taking out her phone, Piper decides to drop Alex a text, making sure she's still on for later.

 **Piper: I thought I'd just check to see if we're still on for later? -P**

Putting her phone away, herself and Polly split the bill, before driving back to PoPi. Upon their arrival, Piper's phone buzzes;

 **Alex: Well someone's eager…** **-A**

Smiling to herself, ignoring the inquisitive eyes of Polly, the blonde starts to count down the minutes until she'll see Alex.

* * *

Since arriving into work this morning, Alex has been bombarded with questions from her best friend, assuming Lorna spilled her whereabouts from yesterday afternoon.

"So have you fucked her yet?"

"Jesus, Nicky - she's a client."

"That hasn't stopped you before," replies the wild-haired blonde, leaning back in the office chair situated opposite from the brunette, who's positioned behind her desk. "What happened to that crazy redhead? You know, the one with the temper that comes in every week."

"Sylvie."

"That's the one. God knows why you're still fucking her."

"For the record, I'm not _still fucking her_ \- she wanted more, so I ended it; I told her it's strictly business between us."

"So what was wrong with fucking that client?"

Dragging her hand through her hair, the brunette sighs, "she was just a fuck buddy, Nicky. I'm not looking for a relationship; I don't have the time to with the business and -"

"Bullshit - we own this place, you can work whenever you like for however long you like. You're gonna have to start opening your eyes, Vause, because the last time I remembered, you never give your clients tours of the gym, you never take them for coffee, and you most certainly don't look out your office window smiling while tapping away on your phone. Don't think I didn't notice." Standing up from her chair, the blonde points at her best friend, "don't fuck this up, Vause, or I'll beat your ass. "

Nicky turns and leaves the room, leaving Alex with nothing but her thoughts. She's no stranger to female company, but commitment and relationships are outside of her comfort zone. In the past 3 years, she's had plenty of flings and one-night stands, but her focus on growing the business has inhibited her from settling down. Sure she had girlfriends in college, but always felt overwhelmed by the idea of meeting the expectations of being with one person and one person only. Since meeting Piper two days ago, she can't help but think what would happen if she looked for something more than sex, and what would happen if she attempted to pursue the blonde. _Piper's straight,_ she thinks, _but she was flirting with me, wasn't she?_

Trying to not to think too hard about the future and focus on the present, Alex checks the time: 3:50pm - 10 minutes until her appointment with Piper. She leaves her office in good spirits, contemplating Nicky's advice, suddenly looking forward to where working with Piper might lead.

* * *

Dressed in her gym wear: a sleeveless aqua sports top, the straps of her white sports bra visible, short navy shorts, and white running shoes, Piper enters the gym. She's greeted by Lorna, who takes the time to register her personal information, before they're interrupted by the presence of the one and only Alex Vause. With her hair tied up in a ponytail, she epitomises confidence, as her black polo is rolled up at the sleeves, her shorts - perhaps too short for her own good, fit to reveal her muscular legs, and her secretary glasses reflect her stunning green eyes.

"Piper," the brunette states, holding out her right hand, "It's good to see you again."

Their hands meet in the middle, shaking as a greeting, and the blonde doesn't know how she's going to get through this session without melting into the - already evident - sexual tension.

The blonde is led into the gym area, where Alex explains the plan for the day's session, whereby Piper will do some light running, floor exercises, and then coordination work. Being that she is already an avid runner, Piper loves to exercise, but taking the leap to getting a personal trainer always seemed a bit much in her eyes, up until now.

"You seem to already keep yourself in good shape, Piper." Alex says, as she walks slightly ahead of the blonde.

"I've been a runner since college, so I guess that plays as an advantage."

"Well you'll be in your comfort zone for what I initially have planned," says the brunette, stopping next to a treadmill, directing the blonde to get onto the machine."So, Piper, as I'm sure you're aware, you need to warm up first, so we'll start out slowly, and then increase the difficulty. Just start off with a basic jog, and when I start to increase the speed, run in time, okay?"

"Okay," replies the blonde, feeling comfort from the brunette's - so far - professional approach.

Piper does as instructed, and after 5 minutes, the brunette begins to step in, increasing the speed of the machine, watching the blonde tentatively. With varying instructions from Alex, the blonde reaches a sprint; the brunette starts a 30 second countdown, encouraging the blonde to push herself, before gradually stopping the machine. With panting breath and sweat profusely dripping down her face, Piper grabs her water, taking a few sips as she tries to compose herself.

"How was that?" asks the brunette, trying to ignore the effect Piper's panting breath is having on her.

"A lot more intense that what I'm used to," she pants between heavy breaths, "but definitely good."

Using the bottom of her t-shirt, the blonde wipes the sweat away from her brow, revealing a slither of her toned stomach, drawing the attention of Alex, who quickly looks away, afraid to go down that route.

"So what's next?' asks the blonde, looking at the brunette, who, for whatever reason she isn't sure, looks distracted, flustered even.

"Let's move to the floor."

The pair move to a matted area, where Alex instructs Piper to lie down, explaining the sets of core exercises she'll be carrying out. The brunette's finding it increasingly hard to keep her eyes off the blonde, something she finds thrilling yet, at the same time, worrying. She's only known this girl for just under two days, and still she doesn't quite know how to explain what's going on. Sure, she's just doing her job, but something's telling her that the effect the blonde already holds on her will only keep increasing. Thinking back to Nicky's words: _don't fuck this up, Vause, or I'll beat your ass_ , and the fact that the blonde, who already has an amazing physique, is performing the exercises with ease, the brunette decides to up the ante - _what's the worst that could happen?_

"Okay Piper, this all seems too easy for you," she says through a chuckle as the blonde falls back onto the mat, "we're going to have a little competition."

Piper, who isn't quite sure what she means by competition, soon realises the brunette's intentions, as, when she looks up, Alex is in the process of removing her polo top, revealing a sleeves gym tank she was wearing underneath. The blonde, who is stunned by the brunette's forward move, begins to ponder whether her counterpart was doing this on purpose - _had she planned this?_

"We're going to see who can do the most press-ups in one minute," says the brunette, as she gets onto the mat next to Piper's, resting on her knees. While Piper gets into position, Alex pulls out her iPhone, takes off her glasses, and sets the timer to 1 minute.

"Ready?" says the brunette.

"How do you know that I'm not going to cheat," says the blonde, her head facing downwards.

"Oh I'll know alright," the brunette replies. "We'll go on the count of three… 1… 2 … 3."

The pair, who are equally competitive, attempt to one-up the other. Alex comfortably lifts her body up and down, with her arms holding her weight, while Piper struggles - lifting not being her strong suit. Sweat pours down their foreheads, and by the 40 second mark, Piper's arms slip, due to the sweat on the mat, and give way, causing her to fall on her front. Alex, however, is still going. Piper, who now rolls onto her side, can't help but watch the brunette move in awe.

Her arm muscles are perfectly flexed, revealing her toned biceps as she lowers herself towards the ground, along with her impressive triceps when pushing herself back upwards. Her arms are securely held down, as veins protrude to the surface of her skin, leading all the way to her hands. Her fingers are spaced out in a parallel fashion, as droplets of sweat hit the mat beneath from the end of her nose; Piper can't help but examine her fingers, which are long and slender, as she had imagined the night before. Her shoulders flex deliciously, moving disks evident due to her sleeveless top, and as her torso hovers over the ground, her top begins to ride up. Piper gets a sneak peak of Alex's lower abdominal area, and the longer she stares, the harder her own abdominal area clenches with arousal. Alex's physique is stunning - her ass looks particularly good in this position, Piper admires, and it's in this moment, when studying the brunette, the blonde can see her real beauty. Although Piper knew she felt an instant attraction towards the brunette, she can now say with confidence that the sultry brunette, who happens to be her personal trainer, is undeniably beautiful.

As the timer on Alex's iPhone rings, indicating the minute is up, her body plummets onto the mat. Rolling onto her back, her breathing heavy and her body covered in sweat, Alex turns to face Piper.

"I win."

"I have no idea how you held yourself up for so long," said the blonde, clearly impressed by the brunette's strength.

"Well, what can I say? I've had plenty of experience when it comes to holding myself up." She winks at the blonde.

"I'm sure you have."

Before she allows herself to contemplate what the blonde meant by that, and whether she was joining her flirtatious banter, she decides to act on her plan.

"So the last part of the session is something I like to do at the end of my own workouts - it's more of a stress reliever if anything.

"I could use some of that," says the blonde, getting up from her mat to follow the brunette, where she's then taken out of the main gym and into a different room.

Alex types a passcode into the wall's keypad, and the pair enter the room, which is aligned with a row of punching bags and a large mirrored wall. Grabbing two pairs of boxing gloves, giving one pair to Piper, Alex explains the final activity.

"If you couldn't already tell, I'll be showing you some punching exercises, and you'll practice them on the bag. Once you get more confident, and if you choose to continue using my services, we can progress to more."

Alex demonstrates some moves on the punching bag next to Piper's, who's situated on the one in the corner of the room, and as the blonde attempts to replicate the movements, Alex steps in to help.

"Here, let me help," Alex takes off her gloves and moves to the blonde's side, reaching over to grab her hands. "Turn your wrists like this," holding the blonde's forearm, the brunette guides the rotation by sliding her own arm down to Piper's wrist, aiding movement, "that's it." Moving closely behind the blonde, the brunette places her hands on the blonde's hips, turning her body slightly towards the left as she hits the bag, "That's better."

Yet to remove her hands from the blonde's waist, the brunette can't help but savour the moment along with the image of herself behind Piper in the mirrors opposite. As Alex goes to move her hands, the blonde leans into her touch, slightly arching so her ass grinds into Alex's front. The brunette's eyes flutter at the sensation, and as her hands grip the blonde's waist tighter, she abruptly turns around, leading to Alex wondering whether she read the current situation incorrectly.

Now leaning against the punch bag, centimeters away from Alex, the blonde's blue eyes meet her companion's emeralds. Her cheeks are flushed, strands of damp, sweaty blonde hair are stuck to her face, and her eyes subsequently lower towards the brunette's plump lips, soon returning back to their original position, using her teeth to bite her lip in the process.

Before either can act however, the door flies open, and their intruder is pleasantly surprised by what she walked in on.

"Vause what're you doing in here? You never come in -"

"What do you want Nichols?" Alex interrupts before her best friend reveals too much, creating some distance between herself and Piper.

"I was just going to ask if you can lock up - Lorna and I are heading off early?"

" _Motherfucker."_ mumbles the brunette under her breath.

"So you must be the new girl from over the road Lorna was telling me about. Nice to meet you, blondie. I'm Nicky," the wild-haired woman walks closer, reaching out her hand

"Nice to meet you, Nicky, I'm Piper," she politely replies, shaking the outstretched hand.

"Really Nicky? During one of my sessions?"

"Well considering you never bring any of your clients in here, this doesn't count." she snaps back, holding her tongue, trying not to laugh having exposed her best friend. If looks could kill, Nicky was dead. "Don't forget to stretch blondie, Vause over here has a reputation for going non-stop," she says, winking, causing Piper to flush at the obvious innuendo.

"Fuck off Nichols." And with that, tipping her head back in laughter, Nicky exits the room, leaving a pissed off Alex, and a delirious Piper.

While Alex thinks of how she should approach the next conversation, considering what her best friend revealed, Piper, on the other hand, can't stop thinking about what just transpired. A few minutes ago, she practically grinded on Alex's crotch - surprising herself with her bold move, and then she finds out that Alex brought her here - something she never does with clients. What did this all mean?

After time spent wondering if she went too far and made Alex think she was desperate, the brunette approaches the blonde, grabbing her wrists to help her remove her gloves.

"Sorry about her, she doesn't quite know when to keep her mouth shut."

"It's fine, really, she seems like fun."

"Yeah, she's alright once you get to know her." After a brief pause, Alex looks up, "Listen Piper, I know it's only been just under 2 days, but I'd love to get to know you more. Even if you choose not to continue coming here after this, I'm curious to know more about the young English major who makes soap, drops cardboard boxes and can't do press-ups for shit."

"I'd love that, Alex," she said through a chuckle, cringing at the memory of her embarrassing episode the previous morning.

"How about I take you for a drink this evening? I feel like I also owe you an apology on Nicky's behalf… she can be a bit much."

"Oh an apology isn't necessary, but I'd love to go for a drink with you tonight, Alex. Then I can steal your business tips, how you deal with wild-haired secret exposers, and manage to be such a badass at press-ups.

With eager smiles, they both leave the room.

"Is it okay if I head home first," asks Piper, "I just don't have a change of clothes and could really do with a shower?"

"Of course! I don't finish here until 8:30 because I'm locking up since Nicky and Lorna left early, and that's in another" checking her watch, which reads 6:30, "2 hours. That should be plenty of time," she smiles.

"Great, so I'll meet you back here at 8:30?"

"Be there or be square."

"Thanks for today, Alex. I'll see you later."

"Anytime, kid."

And with that, Alex goes up to her office while Piper leaves the gym, both excited about what this evening could potentially have in store.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi Everyone,

This will be the last update for about two weeks as I go on holiday this Friday, so I kindly ask that you please don't post any Season 6 spoilers in the reviews, as I'm not too sure when I'll be able to binge-watch it!

Thanks!

* * *

Having returned home to her apartment, the blonde eats some leftover food from her fridge, showers, and is faced with the dilemma of what to wear. Albeit she has to keep reminding herself that this isn't a date - _the invitation was platonic, wasn't it?_ , Piper still wants to make an impression. After contemplation, she decides on wearing a pair of light blue skinny jeans, a sheer white blouse, deliberately accompanied by a lace black bra that's visible through the blouse's thin fabric, black Chelsea boots, and a long, grey coat - the long lapels adding an element of sophistication to her outfit. She applies a light coating of makeup, and after giving herself a once-over in the mirror, Piper feels confidently sexy.

She opts to walk, being that it will only take 15 minutes, and as she strides along the pavement, she receives a text from Polly, who is as inquisitive as ever.

 **Polly: So - how was it? Did you fuck up?**

 **Piper: It went surprisingly well - I'm just about to meet them for drinks, so no, I didn't fuck up.**

 **Polly: I'm expecting all of the details about this 'insanely hot' Alex, Pipes.**

Rolling her eyes, the blonde envisions how her best friend would react to the prospect that the 'insanely hot' Alex is a woman. Perhaps it's out of the fear of judgement, but Piper wants to keep Alex's identity to herself for a little bit longer. This is the first time in her life that she's letting go of her personal inhibitions and not fearing her attraction to women - Alex in particular. Even though she barely knows anything about the brunette, Piper's finds her mysterious persona compelling; the way Alex carries herself screams success, and while she's eager to know more about the woman, she most definitely, as Polly would put it, doesn't want to fuck this is up.

 **Piper: You and me both, Pol. See you tomorrow.**

As Piper arrives at Alex's gym, she walks up to the glass doors, cupping her hand over her forehead, and peers through. It's evident that the place is closed; the lights are off and the door's locked, but as she goes towards her pocket to text the brunette, letting her know she's arrived, Alex descends the stairs, unlocking the door.

"Piper, hi! Sorry if you were waiting long - I had to lock up otherwise people would think we're still open," she says while pulling open the glass door.

"Don't worry about it," Piper says through a smile, "I've only just arrived."

"So are you ready to go?" asks the brunette.

"Whenever you are."

If Alex looked good in her gym wear earlier, she looked _really fucking good_ in her current everyday clothes. Similarly to the first night they met, the brunette is clad in black skinny jeans, a leather jacket and combat boots, except her t-shirt, this time, is a low-cut maroon number, revealing, to Piper's satisfaction, an ample amount of cleavage.

"You scrub up well, Ms Chapman," says the brunette, looking the blonde up and down.

"It's a shame I can't say the same about you, Ms Vause," the blonde replies, tilting her head back in laughter.

"Oh well then, I'll have to make more of an effort next time."

"Who says there'll be a next time?"

"Oh there will be, kid, believe me," Alex affirms confidently.

* * *

With healthy conversation, the pair take a short walk to a local bar, somewhere where Alex frequents with her friends, and as soon as they enter, the brunette is immediately recognised.

"And here I was thinking you'd died," says an older red-haired lady with a Russian accent, who occupies the position behind the bar, walking around to hug the brunette.

"You know how busy it's been recently at work, Red, and with so many people calling in sick I - "

"And who do we have here," interrupts the older lady, dismissing Alex while turning to face the blonde.

"Red, this is my friend Piper. Piper, this is my mentor, Red."

Piper stretches out her hand, expecting a shake in return, instead she's pulled into a hug.

"It's nice to meet you, Piper. Alex never brings company along with her, you must be a _close friend_ ," she says, placing emphasis on the word 'friend', while winking at the pair.

"Red -" the brunette attempts to interrupt.

"What would you like to drink, ladies?"

"I'll have a beer and Piper will have a -" she states, looking towards the blonde.

"A margarita please."

While waiting for Red to produce the drinks, Piper looks around the bar. The main counter's surrounded by a row of bar stools, most of which are occupied; tables align the sides of the fairly spacious room, with a few booths towards the back, and from reading an above sign, the blonde learns that up a set of stairs, there's another bar that accompanies a dancefloor and DJ booth, which is open on weekends and special occasions.

After receiving their drinks, Alex directs the blonde towards a secluded booth, where they sit opposite one another.

"It's a little cold out for a margarita, don't you think?"

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty warm," says the blonde, blue eyes meeting green, as she simultaneously removes her grey coat, revealing her sheer blouse, and to her excitement, Alex's eyes are fixed on her visible bra.

"So how long have you known Red?" asks the blonde, satisfied by Alex's reaction to her outfit of choice.

Hesitating for a second, the brunette composes herself. "Well she's the reason I chose the profession I did. I was a troubled kid in school. My mom and I never had much money; I was bullied for what I wore as well my sexuality - not that half of them bitches minded during their _college experimental phase_." She says imitating quotation marks in the air through a chuckle."I had a temper; I would get violent, and that led to suspension after suspension, while those fucking bitches got away with it." Through a sigh, she leans back, meanwhile Piper rests her head on her wrists, supported by her elbows on the table, enthralled by Alex's story. "I was sent to Red's gym; she was my mentor and trained me all throughout high school and in college when I travelled back home. She's like a second mother to me; she helped me through a lot of shit, and I'm forever grateful for what she;s done for me." While fiddling with her fingers, the brunette continues, "After I finished college, her father passed suddenly. She left her job as a gym instructor and came to manage this place, which was left to her in his will. I come in here every once in while with Nicky and some friends. They're like my family here, you know. And when my deadbeat ass of a father died of a supposed drug overdose, I was left a shit load of money, so I brought my mom a new home, and with the money left over, Nicky and I bought the gym."

"She must be really special to you then," says the blonde, smiling at the brunette.

"Yeah, I guess she is." Taking a sip of her drink the brunette goes on to ask, "So what about you? Any special people in your life."

"Well, I'm very close with my brother Cal. He's always been seen as the outcast of the family, not caring about his grades, smoking pot -"

"Sounds like my kind of guy," replies the brunette through a smile.

"I'm sure you'd get on," the blonde says mirroring the smile. "My other brother, Danny, is a doctor - the only successful child in the eyes of my parents, who's never around, and my parents seem to be disappointed in everything I do. They don't think making soap is good enough of a career to share with their friends at the country club, while my mother does everything she can to remind me that I need to find a husband due to my receding fertility. My grandmother, however, is my saviour. She's always supported everything I do, and since I moved away from Connecticut, I try and visit her as much as I can. She's my safe haven, where I go in times of need."

Sensing that she's talking too much about herself, matched with Alex's low levels of interjection, the blonde changes the subject to something much lighter.

"Anyway, enough about me - what about you, what's your main hobby outside of work?"

"Well, other than working out in my free time, I love to read. I'm sure you know plenty about that, English major," she says through a smirk.

As time passes by, the two women talk about everything from classical literature to their favourite places of travel, to where they wish to visit in the future.

"I loved my placement semester in Paris," says the blonde, "but I've always wanted to visit Bali. You know, with the stunning views and oceans."

"Yeah, I know all about stunning views alright," replies Alex, her round emeralds meeting Piper's blue eyes. "I'd probably say my favourite place is Australia - I went there after college when I travelled for a bit. I'd love to visit Bali too, but Cambodia is up there on my bucket list."

"I wouldn't mind going back to Paris though, it's a place you should go to if you're in a relationship, not to do work," she says, chuckling.

"Well I'm sure you'll find the right person to go with one day."

"Yeah," the blonde says, staring into the brunette's green irises, "I'm sure I will."

* * *

The night progresses, and three drinks later, the two are feeling a lot more relaxed in one another's company.

"So you were caught fucking her by her girlfriend?!" the blonde asks, entertained by the brunette's college story.

"Well, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't. It happened more than once - not some of my finer of moments."

"I drunkenly kissed one or two girls in college."

"Oh yeah," said the brunette, eyebrows raised - she liked where this was going.

"Nothing ever came of them, but I guess that's as far as I ever got to getting into a woman's pants, not that I would have minded if it did happen," the blonde's eyes dart to Alex's lips.

"Only time will tell, kid. You never know, the woman of your dreams could be in this very room."

"She could well be," the blonde replies, _perhaps even opposite me_ , she thinks. Sensing the sudden increase in sexual tension and unsure what to do about her increasing arousal levels, Piper excuses herself, heading towards the restroom.

She grips the sink in the empty bathroom, hanging her head down between her shoulders, breathing heavy. She's never felt such a spark, such a connection, with a person before, and having finally come to terms with accepting her attraction for the brunette, Piper fears if this were to progress any further, she would just be another addition to the, by the sounds of it, large collection of women Alex has had in her bed. Piper isn't prude; she can count the number of men she's slept with on both hands, but something about Alex Vause screams sex. Having only known her for 2 days isn't Piper's main concern; what she's worried about is her inexperience with women and her personal resolve. Sure she'd love to spend more time with Alex, but what if she doesn't want the same? What if this is just a business ploy to make more money? And before Piper drowns in her thoughts about the brunette, she applies some more lip gloss, and goes back to join Alex, who, upon seeing Piper come back, stands from the table.

"I thought we could take a walk? It's getting pretty late?"

"Sure," the blonde replies, "feeling anxious about where this may lead."

The pair walk side by side, and before they know it, with the help of Alex's streetwise nature, they arrive at a open grass area that has a stunning view of the moon and the stars.

"Sit," says the brunette, guiding the blonde by her waist.

"How did you find this place?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," says the brunette, repeating her words from the day before, lying down, staring up at the stars.

"Did you know that the moon's approximately 4.6 billion years old?" says the blonde, joining Alex on her back.

Turning to face the blonde, "No. No I didn't know that."

The two stare at one another, basking in the moment of just being together, before the brunette takes the plunge and moves her hand to cover Piper's, watching her tentatively for any signs of discomfort, which she doesn't see, as the blonde allows their fingers to interlink.

"I like you, Piper Chapman. Although it's only been 2 days, I feel like I've known you all my life. You fascinate me."

"I like you too, Alex Vause. And yes, although it's been 2 days, I've already told you stuff that I haven't shared with another soul." Through the silence surrounding them and the look of sincerity in Alex's eyes, Piper can't help but forget her doubts she had earlier in the bathroom, and by what the brunette says next, she feels guilty that she ever even thought them.

"You know I never do this? Take girls out for drinks, bring them here to lie down on the grass and hold hands. I haven't been looking for anything other than sex since I left college, but there's something about you, Piper, and I'll never forgive myself if I don't try and pursue it."

"Alex you know I've never been with a woman, but it's not something I'm afraid of pursuing anymore. I haven't felt this happy in a long time and it's only been 2 days."

The two stare into one another's eyes, waiting to see who will make the first move, but before anything transpires, the brunette gets up.

"Whe- where are you going?"

"I'm taking you home."

"Alex, why? Was it something I said?"

"No, Piper of course not. It's just… I like you. For the first time in a long time, I'm not in it just for the sex. Although I can imagine that would be amazing, I like you for who you are. You're funny, and smart, and athletic, and ridiculously attractive, and I don't want to do something that will fuck this all up."

"You won't fuck this up, Alex. I won't let you," she replies through a smile thinking back to Polly's new mantra, as she then grabs the brunette's left hand with her right. "Let's go."

They walk hand in hand back to Piper's apartment, not wanting their time together to come to an end.

"I had a really wonderful evening, Alex."

"I had a wonderful evening too, Pipes," _Pipes?_ the brunette thinks as she prepares her next line, "so much so that I'd love to take you out for dinner sometime, you know, after you're done with the stress of PoPi's opening."

"I'd love that too," replies the blonde through an infectious toothy smile, noticing, but deciding not to comment on, her new nickname.

Before she turns to go into her apartment, she puts her arms around the brunette's neck, leaning in for a hug and resting her head in the nook of Alex's neck. The brunette places her hands on the blonde's waist, savouring their current position. The blonde begins to pull her face away, which she instead positions in line with Alex's, allowing them to feel one another's breath, their lips millimetres apart. Moving her head forwards, but directed to the right, the blonde gently kisses the corner of Alex's lips, before moving within touching distance of her ear, whispering:

"See you soon, Alex. Thank you so much for tonight."

Shutting her eyes, trying to compose herself, the brunette tightens her grip on Piper's waist, frustrated by their near kiss, "I'll text you about dinner?"

"It's a date."

And with that, the blonde leaves, leaving a stunned Alex on her doorstep. _Did I really just get played at my own game?_ , she thinks.

* * *

Lying in bed, the brunette sends the blonde a text, letting her know she's home.

 **Alex: Just got home and am now in bed - see you soon, Pipes.**

 **Piper: Well you couldn't have** _ **just**_ **gotten home if you're in bed, could you?**

 **Alex: Alright Dr Smartass.**

 **Piper: Goodnight Alex.**

 **Alex: Night Pipes.**

They both fall asleep with smiles on their faces, looking forward to their first date.


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm back!_

 _Well, Season 6 is certainly up there with some of the better seasons, but I won't spoil anything._

 _I'm not too sure how frequent updates will be; I have A-Level results day coming soon, so that outcome will be a writing mood decider._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _PoPi_ 's opening went without a hitch; the long, restless days spent working on the store for both Piper and Polly were seemingly worthwhile, and as they approach the end of their opening week, the pair are thrilled with the progress and sales made. Piper, whenever she can, has been texting with Alex, and despite the fact that they work opposite one another, the blonde can't help but crave her company. It's been a week since they last saw each other, and Piper's growing restless.

Currently on her lunch break and sitting in her office located up the building's first flight of stairs, the blonde's thoughts are disturbed. The bell outside the front door, which is generally used to indicate the arrival of a delivery when the shop's closed, rings, projecting through her open office door. _We're closed for lunch_ , she thinks to herself.

"Pipes - can you get that," shouts Polly from their stock area in the back of the shop, "I kinda have my hands full back here."

Huffing and lulling her head back, the blonde minimises her computer screen, and heads down to the shop's front, hoping whatever she's about to face won't take up a lengthy amount of her time.

Upon descending the stairs and opening the door to enter the shop floor, the blonde sees the person responsible for the ringing of the delivery bell. Approaching the door, unlocking and opening, she's faced with the person she was just thinking about; the person she hasn't been able to stop thinking about: her gorgeous one-time personal trainer/ business neighbour/ potential romantic interest, Alex Vause.

"Alex, hi! What're you doing here?"

"Well I've heard that the customer service around here is to die for, so I thought i'd come and see for myself."

"Is that so," replies the blonde, a toothy smile spilling from her lips, revealing her perfect teeth.

"I'm not too sure if I believe what I've heard, you know, with the store locked and me standing on the street and all, inhibiting me from coming to see what I've been waiting to see for about a week."

"Alex you could have come before. You know I've been here everyday."

"That's awfully presumptuous of you, Pipes," replies the brunette with a growing smirk, "I was talking about the soap that everyone around here has been raving about as of recent."

"Oh I didn't mean to-"

Chuckling, the brunette decides to end the blonde's embarrassment, which seems to be increasing along with the flush of her cheeks. "I'm just kidding, Pipes. Of course I've wanted to come and see you, but life's been rather full on recently. I finally have some free time, so I thought I'd come and see what all the fuss is about."

"Of course!" the blonde responds, leading the brunette into the store, trying to ignore the sudden fluttering sensation making an appearance in her stomach due to Alex's admission of wanting to see her.

Looking around the filled space, the brunette can't help but admire what they've done with the place. "I'm impressed. How're sales going?"

"They're going great - restocking's been a bitch though," the blonde says through a small laugh.

The brunette wonders over to the shower section, picking up a bottle of the newly stocked shelf, "Vanilla. This seems popular."

"Yeah that's our best seller."

"And would you recommend?"

"Well I use it, so, yeah," the blonde replies, wondering if she's going too far by mentioning the product she showers with.

"I see. What about in hot showers?"

"Yes, Alex. I would recommend regardless of the shower's temperature. Why so specific?" she asks, again laughing.

"Well because my showers are always hot. The _hot_ element being myself," the brunette replies with a smug smile.

"Wow. Original content," the blonde replies, "I'm melting as we speak."

"I thought so too," the brunette winks. "I'll take this then to test your recommendation."

"I'm sure you'll feel satisfied using it in your _hot_ shower."

"Oh I'm sure I will," replies the brunette, raising her arched eyebrow.

The blonde leads the pair over to the till, her hair resting on her shoulders, a contrast to her companion's dark hair, pulled into a makeshift messy bun, revealing the white lettering of 'Personal Trainer' covering the back of her polo.

"Would you like a bag with that?" Piper asks, after the brunette pays for the shower gel.

"I'm sure that my hands are more than capable, thanks."

If the mere sight of Alex's presence gained Piper's attention, her comment sure as hell captured it. Looking down at the brunette's hands resting on the table, the blonde, yet again, feels a fluttering in her stomach; the visible veins on the surface of her hands, evident signs of frequent athleticism, adds to the image of Alex's attractiveness. Unable to look away, the blonde can't help but envision what she's sure those hands are capable of: experiencing a _hot_ shower, being in a bathroom stall with hands fumbling with her jean button from behind, being on top covered in sweat, having one wrapped around her neck. _What the fuck, Piper,_ she internally curses herself. The blonde snaps out of her impromptu lust-filled fantasy, feeling as though she's going too far, choosing to ignore what spurred on her last thought, being that it's something she's never experienced, nor wanted to experience, before.

"Are you okay, Piper?" Asks the brunette, entertained by the blonde's sudden trance.

After clearing her throat, the blonde replies, "Fine. I'm perfectly okay. Why?"

"No reason," says the brunette, not wanting to push the moment.

After a short period of silence, the pair simultaneously begin to speak.

"Piper I -"

"Alex it -"

They share a laugh, amused by their timing.

"You go," says the brunette.

"No, it wasn't that important," replies the blonde. "What were you going to say?"

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Pretend you weren't going to say something worth meaning."

"I -" the blonde stutters, bowing her head slightly, feeling sheepish about sharing her next comment, "I just wanted to say that it's really good to see you."

"It's really good to see you too," the brunette replies with a toothy smile, receiving a mirrored version in response. "What I was going to say was that I also wanted to come over here to ask if you were free tomorrow evening. We hadn't gotten around to texting about a time for our date, and so yeah," Alex wavers off apprehensively, out of her comfort zone when it comes to dating.

"I'd love to go out with you tomorrow evening, Alex."

"I'll pick you up from your apartment at 7, then?"

" 7 it is."

"Bye Pipes," the brunette states, grabbing and waving her shower gel, "thanks for this ."

"Anytime - thanks for stopping by. I'll see you tomorrow." the blonde replies, watching the brunette turn, leave the store, cross the road, and enter the building opposite.

* * *

By the time 7pm arrives the following day, Piper's nervously waiting for the brunette in her living room. After the doorbell goes, indicating Alex has arrived, Piper buzzes her up, waiting for a knock on the door, having text Alex her apartment number, along with her address, in the morning. When the knock arrives, she gives herself a once-over in the mirror, an proceeds to open the door.

Before her stands the brunette, looking as stunning as ever. Her jet-black hair falls loosely past her shoulders, as she wears a black jumpsuit, with a notable plunging neckline, revealing a sufficient amount of cleavage, black loafers, her seductive glasses, and sexy leather jacket.

"Hey, you look great," says the brunette, obviously checking the blonde out, her eyes scanning across her shoulder length straight hair to her short, tight maroon dress, paired with a black pair of heels.

"Thanks. I could say the same to you."

"Shall we go then?" Asks the brunette.

"If you're ready to, yeah."

As the pair take the lift down to the ground floor, the blonde asks

"So where are we going?"

"You'll have to wait a little bit longer to find out, kid," replies the brunette "this one's a special surprise."

Albeit still not knowing where they're going, the prospect of Alex making their first date special causes Piper's lips to tip up into a smile.

After driving in Alex's car for 20 minutes, they arrive at their destination, whereby Alex rolls down her window, pays the entry fee, and parks the car along the spacious grass field.

"I know I said i'd take you out for dinner, but this is dinner with a twist," states the brunette, hoping the blonde will appreciate the idea. "It's an outdoor cinema, if you couldn't already tell, but it's their secret showing, meaning you don't know what they're going to show, just the time and place."

"I love it Alex," says the blonde, smiling, "how did you find this place?"

"I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve," she winks. "Wait here," the brunette says, before getting out the car, removing items from the boot, and returning to her seat. "And here I present... dinner."

Laughing appreciatively, the blonde can't help but smile at Alex's adorable nature, as she removes the contents from her picnic basket, while pressing a button to lower the roof of her convertible Audi.

The pair talk animatedly over the food and wine Alex packed, and emerge into a comfortable silence as the film begins - a mildly interesting rom-com neither had heard of. Although it was a film the brunette wouldn't normally gravitate towards, she found herself watching the blonde next to her more than the film itself, entertained by the way she throws her head back and laughs at a particularly funny bit then scrunches up her nose to try and compose herself. Reaching a hand across tentatively, Alex places her palm on Pipers, meeting her eyes for any sign of doubt. After receiving none, she proceeds to intertwine their hands; communicating with their eyes, the pair are more than content in one another's company. Having been so business-focused for the last 3 years, rather than personal life orientated, Alex begins to question her previous morals: why hadn't I met her sooner?

During their drive back to Piper's, the pair discuss the film, by which Alex described as 'too hetero', contrasted to Piper's review on it's humour, and as they approach Piper's apartment, neither want the night to end. They both unbuckle their seatbelts while remaining in the car.

Turning to face the blonde, Alex again reaches for Piper's hand, rubbing small circles with her thumb.

"I had a really wonderful evening, Al. I haven't been on a date this good in a long time - if ever," the blonde smiles.

"I had a really great evening too, Pipes," the brunette replies, mentally picking up on her new nickname, Al. "This is all pretty new to me, but I enjoy your company. I like you, Piper."

"I like you too, Alex."

The pair gaze into one another's eyes, wondering who's going to make the first move. The sexual tension between the pair has been palpable ever since their first meeting, but rushing wasn't something either woman wanted to risk. Now with their evident flowing chemistry, neither wanted to hold back per se.

Moving her right hand from Piper's, the brunette brushes her fingertips along the blonde's arm, travelling along her shoulder, and resting on the side of her neck. With her thumb tentatively moving the blonde's hair behind her ear and then stroking her cheek, Alex looks for any sign of rejection from the blonde, while wetting her lips with her tongue. Receiving nothing other than encouragement from the blonde's sparkling lust-filled eyes, Alex leans forward, seeing the blonde mirror her movement, and their lips collide.

It's testing to begin with as the pair savour the moment, before the brunette slides her hand up to the blonde's jaw, opening her mouth to change direction. Piper, ignited by the spark provided by Alex's soft, plump lips, too opens her mouth to deepen the kiss, moaning at the sensation of their fused lips, as her hands passionately comb through the brunette's hair. Alex's tongue lines the blonde's lower lip, probing for access, which is immediately granted, and the pair's tongues dance together, flowing in sync, almost as though they'd been here before.

They moan into one another's mouths, and as she can feel her arousal reaching the point where it needs to be tended to, Alex gently bites Piper's lower lip, pulling it slightly to end the kiss, resting their foreheads together.

"Wow," says the blonde.

"Wow indeed."

The blonde leans forward and grabs the lapels of Alex's leather jacket, capturing her lips again, a more forward approach than before. The blonde's muffled moans begin to become more frequent. "Come inside, we can have another drink," Piper says between kisses.

The brunette grabs the blonde's wrists, pulling away.

"Pipes I can't," despite the blonde's attempts to protest, "I don't want to rush into this, and after them kisses, I don't think I'll be able to control myself in your apartment alone with you."

"Maybe I don't want you to," she replies, her lips swollen from their recent activities, but realising the seriousness of Alex's tone, she complies. "You're right. We can end this on a memorable note. I'll have to top this next time."

"And that you will," replies the brunette, getting out the car to open Piper's door.

Giving the blonde one last peck, the pair say goodbye, and as Alex watches Piper enter her apartment, she can't help but smile at what tonight transpired to.

* * *

Lying in her bed, the blonde hears her phone vibrating. Reaching over, she sees it's from Alex, and smiles at the message.

Alex: Thanks for tonight, kid. I'm home and in bed now. Goodnight.

Piper: I think I should be thanking you.

Piper: I see you've amended your methods to avoid 'Dr Smartass'. Goodnight, Al.

Chucking her phone down on the bed, the blonde can't stop thinking about their kiss. Having imagined kissing Alex several times in her sleep, experiencing the real deal was something else. Feeling herself becoming aroused just at the memory of the kiss, Piper kicks her duvet to the other side of her double bed, and removes her boyshorts, leaving her in just an oversized t-shirt. Before she gets too committed, Piper again reaches to her nightstand, grabbing her laptop. She opens her pictures, selecting the one she had saved in her bookmarks, but since cropped, and it appears: the picture of Alex in her gym wear holding a beer bottle. Although she should be cursing herself for doing this, Piper's one-track mind shows no inhibition, as she places her laptop on the other side of the bed, adjusting the screen so it can be seen from her position.

Reaching her right hand down, she feels the evidence of her arousal - even her inner thighs are coated, and runs two fingers through her soaked folds. Moaning out loud, the blonde imagines her hands are Alex's, and while looking at the picture proceeds to turn her on more, images of their first kiss cause a new spurt of wetness to soak her fingers, and for her left hand to smackdown onto the bed, unaware of where it landed.

Had she been focusing on something other than her Alex-induced raging libido, Piper would have immediately noticed her mistake. Having previously thrown her phone to her side and left it unlocked on the thread of texts with Alex, the process caused the screen to switch to Alex's contact settings, and by smacking her hand onto the bed, the blonde mistakenly pressed the call button…

Unknowingly to the blonde, Alex picks up on the third ring, not expecting Piper to call, but when she listens carefully for a form of response to her greeting, the brunette's eyes shoot open, shocked, yet incredibly turned on, by what she's hearing.

Moans are falling from the blonde's lips and her heavy breathing transfers down the phone line; as Alex goes to ask the blonde what's happening, what she hears next dries her throat, as her eyes flutter closed.

"Fuck Al," the blonde says through her rapid breathing, moans getting increasingly high-pitched.

The blonde, still unaware that she has a virtual audience in the shape of the woman she's currently fantasising over, moves her two fingers from their position on her clit, and inserts them into her centre, moving in and out at a rapid pace. Her left hand moves up to her breasts, playing with her nipples, as she imagines Alex's dexterous hands.

"Harder, Al" she says, tipping her head backwards, using the picture on her laptop to aids her fantasy, yet still completely unaware that 'A' now too has her hands tending to her own needs, having put her phone on speaker, hearing the blonde moan her name causing her arousal to skyrocket.

Lashing her left hand out again, the blonde suddenly hears heavy breathing in the room, something that isn't coming from her own mouth. Slowing down her movements, that's when Piper realises what she's done. Looking at the timer counting how long the phone call's been connected, she sees 6:09… 6:10… 6:11, and when she hears the heavy breathing coming from down the phone, followed by a muffled grunt, she notices her phone is on speaker. After hearing a quiet, husky 'Fuck Pipes' travel down the phone, her fingers increase their pace.

Both women's fingers move to the sound of their counterpart's moans increasing, the sound of their wetness increasing, and as her orgasm rips through her body, Piper moans - without conscious thought - down the phone, "Fuck, Alex, fuck, I'm cumming I'm cumming!"

With that, the brunette too lets go, trying to muffle her groans with her free hand.

The sound of heavy breathing can be heard for both parties, both of which the receiving end is, unknowingly, listening to their recovery, and before the brunette has the chance to end the call, hoping the blonde didn't notice she listened in although the call was accidental, Piper speaks up.

"Al?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to I -" the blonde says between breaths.

"Pipes, don't worry, everyone does it."

"It's just, you didn't need to hear that, especially what I was saying."

"Believe me. I did," the brunette's voice drops an octave. "You sound so fucking hot when you moan my name. When you come."

"Al," the blonde refutes, feeling herself getting turned on again by Alex's words.

"Maybe next time we'll have to video chat?"

"Who says there'll be a next time?" the blonde asks, repeating the question from when they went for drinks.

"Oh, believe me, kid, there will be a next time." Piper can imagine the smug smirk on Alex's face, even through the phone. "Go to sleep now, Pipes. We both have work tomorrow."

"Just about to. Thanks, Al."

"Maybe it's imaginary Al you should be thanking?" Before she receives a berating response, the brunette dodges the topic, "I'm kidding, ignore me. Tonight was hot, don't feel bad about it, Piper."

"Yeah you're right, it was hot," she says through a yawn, "I've never butt-dialed someone i'm dating while getting myself off, but there's a first time for everything, right?"

"There sure is. Night, Pipes."

"Night, Al."

As she ends the call, puts her laptop away, and puts her phone on the nightstand, Piper smiles at what just happened. Sure it was initially embarrassing, but hearing her name come out of Alex's mouth like that lit a fire inside her - a fire she doesn't think she ever wants to put out.


	6. Chapter 6

Loving some of your suggestions for future chapters - I'll try and draft them in. Keep them coming!

This is the longest chapter yet - hope you enjoy!

* * *

It's been a month since Alex and Piper's first date; the pair have continued getting to know each other, meeting once a week for Piper's training sessions - _yes, she paid for a membership,_ and on any other occasion they share free time.

They're are currently at Red's bar with Alex's friends and colleges, Nicky, Boo, Taystee and Suzanne, and while standing at the bar with Nicky, the brunette's being quizzed by Nicky about her _relationship_ with the blonde.

"So Vause have you fucked yet?" Asks the wild-haired woman, teasing her best friend.

"That's none of your business, Nichols," the brunette replies, hoping the subject will be dropped.

"Come on, Vause, don't go all shy on me," she nudges the brunette's arm with her elbow, a probing smirk on her face, "Is she at least good in bed? A freak in the sheets?"

"Nicky!" The brunette scolds her best friend, "What goes on between Piper and I doesn't concerns you. Okay? Now drop it."

"Well if it wasn't for me, your head would still be stuck up your ass, so the least I deserve are some details."

"We haven't slept together, okay? I mean, of course I want to, but I don't want to get ahead of myself."

The teasing response Alex's waiting for doesn't come, and as she turns to face her best friend, who's now leaning sideways against the bar, legs crossed at the ankles with her arms folded, she's greeted with a nod and a smile.

"What?" the brunette enquires.

"Nothing. I just like this different side of you."

"I'm not any different Nic-"

"Different as in happy."

Before the brunette has a chance to reply, their drinks are placed in front of them.

Returning to her seat next to Piper on the end of their booth, Alex places the drinks down, hoping Piper survived the conversation during her absence.

"So, what did we miss?"

"Boo was just telling us about her new piece of meat," says Taystee, laughing.

"Where's she from this time? The corner of the street? The tool shop?" the brunette asks, teasing her friend about what they call the 'screwdriver incident'.

"That was one time!" the louder woman shouts, "Desperate times," she laughs.

This sparks an argument between Nicky and Boo, the latter annoyed by Nicky's now persistent teasing. Not wanting to get involved, Alex turns to the blonde, placing her hand on her leg under the table.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay," the blonde replies, smiling at the brunette, placing her hand on top of Alex's while sipping from her drink with the other.

"They can be a bit… let's say intense," the brunette says, clocking her head towards the other occupants of the table.

"Nothing I can't handle."

While the pair are stuck in their own world, the rest of the table are now all in a heated discussion about whether calling or texting someone is better.

"I mean if you call me and you haven't booked an appointment to do so, that shit's fucked up," says Taystee, waving her hands to emphasise her point.

"What's the fucking point in having a phone if you don't let people call you - now _that shit's fucked up_ ," argues Nicky, causing Suzanne to chip in.

"I know," she says, tapping her forehead with her index finger, "Why don't you start writing poetry. It _relaxes the mind…_?" she wavers off in a dreamy voice, "It works for me."

"Suzanne I don't think that's what we're - "

"What about you two?" Nicky says, interrupting Taystee, looking at the pair at the end of the booth.

Unknowingly to Alex and Piper, the entirety of the table's eyes are now on them, as they laugh at a joke the brunette just shared.

"Vause."

"Hmm?" mumbles the brunette, breaking her eye contact with the blonde beauty in front of her.

"Quit the eye fucking Blondie and listen, four eyes," shouts Nicky. "Do you prefer it when people call you or text you?"

"What kind of a fucking question is that?"

"A fucking good one. Now answer."

"Well it depends. Texting is convenient, but calling can be too in the right moment."

"You can't sit on the fence like a pussy, Vause. Blondie - what about you?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with calling someone. It's easy to get a message across, you know, you tone of voice and pitch."

"I didn't peg you as a call person, Blondie," Nicky replies.

"Damn, but calling someone's too far - especially at night," argues Taystee.

"Oh Piper's a fan of those," remarks the brunette.

The blonde, shocked by Alex's admission, turns to face the brunette, eyes wide with a blush forming on her cheeks.

"So I've heard?" Nicky says smiling at the blonde. .

"Well um -"

"Who wants another drink?" Interrupts the brunette, feeling slightly guilty for putting Piper on the spot.

Receiving a full house of drink orders, grabbing Piper by the hand, Alex heads to the bar.

"You told them?"

"No! Of course I didn't! I wouldn't do that to you. Nicky was just playing."

"God I still can't believe I did that," the blonde says through a self-deprecating laugh.

"Well I'm glad you did," says the brunette, smiling at the blonde before ordering the drinks for their table.

* * *

Several hours and several drinks later, Piper and Alex are on the packed dance floor, hidden from the view of Alex's friends. Piper, feeling the effects of her hefty alcohol consumption, dances freely, enjoying Alex's company, while Alex, practically sober, is feeling the effects of Piper's provocative dancing. With her back to the brunette, Piper grinds her ass on Alex, sticking to the rhythm of Partition by Beyoncé that's playing, while the brunette holds her waist, both amused and enthralled by Piper's drunken dancing.

"You feel amazing, Pipes," the brunette says, leaning down to whisper in the blonde's ear.

Piper tilts her head back so it rests on the brunette's shoulder, "I know something that would feel even more amazing," she slurs, while pulling the brunette's hands along her hips and up her white blouse, resting them on her torso.

The brunette's breath hitches in the blonde's ear as she feels the blonde's toned abs, something she's been wanting to touch since the blonde used her shirt to wipe sweat from her brow during their first session together. Before Alex can act, the blonde removes her hands, leaving the brunette's under her shirt alone, and turns her head, grabbing her companion's jaw, blue eyes meeting green. Leaning forward, the blonde connects their lips in a sloppy kiss.

Feeling the blonde moan into her mouth as the kiss deepens, Alex doesn't know how much longer she can take it before Piper lands in her bed. The blonde, with increasing eagerness, runs her hand through the brunette's hair, attempting to keep their faces as close as possible, and it isn't until the blonde sucks on the brunette's tongue that she can't take it any longer. Grabbing the blonde's hand and turning her body around, Alex leads the blonde to the bathroom. They enter an empty cubicle at the end of the room, and after locking the door, Alex grabs the blonde by the waist, gently pushing her into the wall, connecting their lips.

The blonde's hands rest on the brunette's lower back, gripping the edge of her white t-shirt, as she attempts to combat with Alex's domination of the kiss. It's sloppy; teeth are clanking, lips are bitten, tongues are battling for leverage; it's unadulterated intimacy. In a sudden surge of need, the blonde grabs the brunette's right hand, directing it towards the button of her jeans.

"Pipes -" the brunette mumbles between kisses, reluctant to take this too far, afraid the blonde will regret her actions.

"Please, Al."

Despite the fact that she's incredibly turned on, the brunette can't escape the fact that Piper's incredibly intoxicated, perhaps to the extent where she doesn't know what she's doing.

"Piper you're drunk, we should stop."

"I'm no dunk," garbles the blonde, reaching her own hands down to her jeans, undoing its button, and as she goes to undo her zipper, the brunette grabs her hand.

"Piper I don't want our first time to be in a shitty bathroom stall or when you're not sober enough to remember it in the morning."

"Alex why don't you just admit you don't want me? Is it because I've never beeeen wif a woman before?"

"Piper of course I want you. More than you know," she huffs, frustrated by Piper's drunken antics and her faltering speech, "I just want this to be special, okay?"

The blonde rests her head on the brunette's shoulder, the spinning image of the room becoming too much to handle.

"Let's get you home," Alex says, helping the blonde button her jeans up again - not something she's as familiar with compared to the undoing process.

"It's always yooo takin mee home, Alex," Piper states, seeming upset about her revelation, "It's my turn to walk you homeee."

Amused by the blonde's persistence, the brunette agrees to being taken home, fully knowing it will end up with the blonde not being able to navigate her way, resulting in her having to stay over.

The pair leave the bar, with Alex dropping Nicky a text, letting her know that they've left, and as the pair begin to walk towards Alex's apartment, the blonde puts her arms around the brunette's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Hmm," the blonde hums dreamily followed by laughter, "I don't know where you live, Al." And after stumbling slightly, she follows up, "I don't think my legs work."

Smiling at the blonde's endearing intoxicated personality, the brunette unhooks herself from the blonde, slightly bending down.

"Get on," she states, "I'll carry you."

The blonde jumps up onto Alex's back with surprising levels of success first time, and the brunette grabs her thighs, securing the piggyback, while Piper brings her arms around the brunette's neck.

Despite the blonde's persistent touchiness, whereby she attempts to pull the brunette's top down from it's low plunge, the pair reach Alex's apartment safely. Getting into the elevator, where the blonde's let down, Alex presses the button..

"P. Does that stand for Piper?" Asks the blonde, referring to the buttons in the elevator.

"No, Pipes. It stands for Penthouse."

"That's fucking stupid," the blonde says seriously, "P's for Piper. Whoever made that's a pussy." After thinking for a few seconds, she continues through a laugh, "P's also for pussy. We're going to your pussy?" she asks, turning to look at the brunette.

"Not today, kid," the brunette laughs, pleased the elevator's door opens before the conversation escalates further.

Getting out her key to open the door, Alex feels the blonde wrap her arms around her from behind, roaming around her stomach, giving off a contented sigh in her ear. So she's a horny drunk, the brunette thinks.

"Your stomach seems toned, Al. Do you work out?" the blonde asks, unaware that her comment is definitely coming back to bite her in the morning.

"Every now and then," replies the brunette through a smile, turning to kiss Piper on the cheek as the door now lies wide open. "Let's get you to bed, Pipes."

"Must go home," Piper replies through a yawn.

"No you're staying with me tonight."

"Really," the blonde presses, her hands attempting to enter under Alex's t-shirt.

"To sleep," the brunette says, leading her drunken companion into her home, suddenly feeling like she's babysitting for the night.

* * *

Half an hour later, finally managing to get Piper into her bedroom - a sentence the brunette never thought she'd need to compose, certainly not with a time frame as long as 30 minutes, Alex exits her en-suite, finding the blonde lying on the bed, clad in a black lacy bra and matching thong, on the phone.

"No Polly, I'm staying at Alex's house. You know _insanely hot Alex_?"

Not being able to hear the response Piper receives, Alex diverts her eyes, not wanting to stare at Piper's body for too long - another sentence the brunette never thought she'd need to compose. After suddenly hearing a thud, seeing the blonde's phone now on the floor, Alex walks over, picking up the device and putting it to her ear.

"Hi Polly, I'm Alex. If you couldn't already tell, Piper's rather drunk at the minute - she just dropped the phone."

"She's the worst when she's drunk - one time, she jumped into a fountain pretending to be in the Olympics," Polly says through a laugh. "Thanks for letting her stay, Alex. Tell her I'll be coming to her apartment at noon tomorrow. Business talk."

"Sure thing. I'll make sure she gets home safely."

With that, the phone call ends, and looking back at the bed, Alex offers the blonde a change of clothes, after setting an alarm on the iPhone in her hand.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" the blonde asks.

"Do you always sleep in your bra and pants?"

"Do you always attempt to impede others' free will?"

So her smartass vocabulary's starting to make an appearance again.

Feeling like she lost that one, Alex turns off the main light and walks around the double bed, pulling back the covers and getting in.

Turning her head to the right, Alex sees the blonde staring at her.

"Are you okay there, Pipes?"

"Yeah good, you?"

"I'm great. How about we get some sleep now?"

"Ummm… how about we do something else that rhymes with _duck_."

"Duck?" the brunette asks, laughing. "You want us to _truck_? _Muck_? _Buck_?"

Purposely not giving the blonde the answer she's looking for, Alex certainly wasn't expecting what happens next. Pushing back the covers, the blonde climbs across to straddle her companion's waist, placing her hands on the brunette's stomach, which is covered by an old t-shirt paired with some black Calvin Klein boyshorts.

"This is a nice t-shirt, Al," the blonde mumbles, her speech becoming more coherent by the minute.

"I'll go get you one. You might feel cold in the night," says the brunette, leaning forwards to try and avoid temptation.

"Oh no you don't," says the blonde, pushing the brunette onto her back, grinding her ass into Alex's body, "I'm comfortable in my dress code."

"Pipes you need to go to sleep; we're not going to fuck."

Before she gets a reply, Alex's lips are engulfed by the blonde's and her hands can't help but find purchase on her hips. As the kiss deepens, both women deliver moans. The blonde's hands rest on Alex's t-shirt over her breasts, while the brunette's hands have now instinctively progressed to Piper's ass, which is barely covered by her thong. Seeing this as a sign of approval, the blonde sits up and grasps the brunette's hands from her ass. Navigating them to her hips, she grabs the sides of her underwear, guiding her companion's fingers to start pulling the garment down. Alex, meanwhile, is transfixed by what's unfolding in front of her; while Piper seems to be majorly aroused, she promised herself they wouldn't be fucking tonight, but when the brunette catches a brief glimpse of the top of Piper's trimmed mound, she springs upwards, freezing the control Piper has over her hands.

"Piper as much as I want to, please, not now."

"Isn't this what you want?" She asks trying to hold back a yawn.

"Of course it is. Just not now. Right now I want you to be my little spoon. Don't think I didn't just see you hold off your yawn."

Admitting defeat, the blonde removes herself from the brunette, allowing herself to be pulled into a spooning position.

"I can't wait for you to hear all about this in the morning," says the brunette, whispering in the blonde's ear.

Waiting for a reply, the brunette doesn't get one; the women she currently has her arm wrapped around is asleep. _Finally_.

* * *

It's roughly 8am when Alex wakes - one hour before the alarm she set. In an unmoved position from the night before, spooning the blonde beauty next to her, the brunette debates whether she should wait in bed until the alarm goes, or go and make breakfast, hopefully not waking her guest. Deciding on the latter, as she tries to remove her arm from where it's situated across the blonde's stomach, Piper arches backwards, mumbling in her sleep, forcing her backside further into Alex's crotch. Shutting her eyes at the feeling, the brunette quickly detaches herself from the blonde, leaving the room and heading towards the kitchen.

By the time it's nearly 9, Alex managed to check and send some emails, followed by making some breakfast and coffee, before placing them on a tray to be carried into the bedroom.

Entering her bedroom, the brunette places the tray onto her nightstand, observing the sight before her. The blonde, with her hair splayed out on her pillow, is breathing lightly, lying on her back, with the sheet resting on her hips. Smiling to herself, Alex returns back into the bed, watching the blonde, anticipating her post-alcohol induced mood when she wakes up.

Soon enough, the room's peaceful atmosphere is interrupted by the sound of a duck quacking - the alarm noise the brunette purposely chose the night before. The blonde, groaning loudly, turns into the brunette's shoulder, obviously agitated by the alarm's volume.

"Alex turn it off."

"It's on your nightstand. Move over." With that, the blonde returns to her previous position with her eyes still shut, allowing the brunette to lean over and turn off the alarm. In the process of returning back to her prior position, the brunette's obstructed, as Piper wraps her arms around her middle, resulting in the brunette falling on top of the blonde, landing in a compromising position.

"Morning," says the brunette, smiling at the blonde's squinting eyes pecking her lips, "I made breakfast, and there's water and painkillers on the nightstand for you."

"Thanks, Al. My head hurts like a bitch. Why did you let me drink so much?" the blonde asks, releasing the brunette to grab the water and painkillers.

"Hey don't blame me! I'd be _impeding your free will_ as a mature adult."

"What?" the blonde asks, having taken her pills, resting against the headboard.

"That's what you said to me last night. Well, one of the many things you said and tried to do."

Covering her face with her hands, the blonde immediately felt guilty for her inability to handle her alcohol tolerance.

"First you were rather persistent in the bathroom at the bar, insisted on walking me home - baring in mind you, and I paraphrase felt that your legs didn't work," the brunette explained, mimicking speech marks with her fingers. "Then I gave you a piggyback home; you tried to get into my pants while I tried to open the front door; you refused to - "

"Okay, Al, I get it, you don't need to - "

"Let me help you, and then you decided wearing only a bra and thong was an acceptable replacement for pyjamas," the blonde looks down at her body, eyes widening. "And then you said you wanted to do something that rhymes with 'duck', hence the alarm," the brunette concludes, delivering a smug smirk towards the blonde, who sinks further into her pillow, evidently embarrassed.

"We didn't did we? You know, umm... do something that rhymes with duck?" she asks, removing her hands from her face.

"No, Pipes. Although you did partially expose yourself while trying to make me take your thong off after climbing onto my stomach," she laughed, enjoying the blonde's disbelief at her admission. "You'd know for sure if we did."

"Fuck, Alex. I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Pipes. I learned some useful things about you that I've stored for future reference." Pondering for a second, the brunette goes on to ask: "Who's insanely hot Alex? You mentioned them while on the phone to Polly, and I don't know if you were chatting out of your ass, or you're hiding something," she asks with a hint of sarcasm.

"Motherfucker," the blonde whispers under her breath. "Well that's who Polly knows you as - it's a long story. What did I say to her?" she asks, suddenly worried she might have said something to her best friend that she'll regret.

"I didn't hear the whole call, but after you dropped your phone, I took the reigns. Oh, by the way, she's coming to your apartment at noon."

"You spoke to Polly?" the blonde asks, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah - it was brief. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course, it's just -" the blonde lets out a sigh, "she doesn't know that we're dating per se, nor does she know that insanely hot Alex is a woman," she explains, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh Pipes," the brunette laughs, "this just got awkward."

"I've been wanting to tell her, but I don't want her to judge me, you know? Her opinion means a lot to me, and she's always dismissed the female attraction I admitted to in college as my 'experimental phase', but that's not what this is," she said pointing her finger between herself and the brunette, "I want to see where this goes, Alex, I really do."

Leaning over to kiss the blonde on the lips, the brunette smiles, "I get it Pipes. I want to see where this goes too. But before we get into too deep of a conversation this early in the morning, why don't we eat the food I made and you can break this down and tell me more?" Getting up, Alex grabs the tray, and the pair discuss how Piper should approach their situation around Polly.

* * *

Having been dropped off at her apartment by Alex, Piper's currently sitting on the sofa in her living room with Polly, where, for the last hour, she's been the subject of her best friend's questioning regarding the previous evening.

"So what does this Alex look like?"

"Tall, dark hair, glasses."

"And are you dating?"

"We've been on quite a few dates, yeah. We're still taking it slow."

"And have you slept together yet?"

"No, Polly, for the tenth time: not everything's about sex!" the blonde shouts, becoming increasingly agitated by her best friend's nosiness.

"I just want you to be happy, Pipes. I just hope he's treating you right."

This is my moment, Piper thinks, taking a deep breath, deciding to come clean to Polly, hoping she's supportive."

"She is treating me right. I know that's probably not what you were expecting to hear, but Pol I can't help how I feel. This isn't just some experimental phase, this is my life."

Awaiting a judgemental response, Piper watches her best friend, whose lips rise into a smile.

"What?" the blonde asks.

"I know Alex is a woman, Pipes. It didn't take a genius to work it out ."

"How did-"

"Well first of all, I saw you talking to a woman who happened to have 'Personal Trainer' on the back of her shirt in PoPi a few weeks ago, and last night on the phone, well let's just say that the voice was a dead give away." Leaning forward to face her best friend, the brunette continues, "Pipes I don't care that you're dating a woman, I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," Piper responds with tears in her eyes, before being pulled into a hug.

"I can see what you mean by insanely hot though," Polly admits, laughing. " I'd love to see what Bill and Carol have to say about this."

"Pol it's not like we're an official couple. If it comes to that, then I'd have to tell my parents, but for now, we're moving at our own pace, okay?"

"Okay," Polly answers, raising her arms as though surrendering, "I love you, you stupid lesbian."

"I love you too, Pol. Thanks for understanding."

The pair spend some time discussing who they should hire to help with sales for PoPi, being that working almost everyday for both women was taking its toll, and they agree upon two new recruits they'd interviewed earlier in the week.

"Why don't we go out for dinner sometime this week? We still haven't had a chance to celebrate opening. There's that new Italian restaurant opening down the street?" asks Polly.

"You're right. We really need to get out, Pol, the sight of soap's making me crazy," Piper laughs.

"You remember our deal, don't you? You come to dinner with Pete, his friend and I, and you get the next day off."

"Pol -"

"I know - the friend's an issue, but I promised Pete he could come. I'll get Pete to tell him you're off the market, so to speak."

Rolling her eyes, Piper agrees Monday evening will be a good time, not particularly thinking, just desperately looking forward to going back to bed, being that her hangover doesn't show any sign of depleting anytime soon.

* * *

Sitting at her breakfast bar on her laptop, Alex receives a text from the blonde who, as of recent, seems to always be on her mind.

 **Piper:** Turns out Polly already knew. I guess you coming into the shop and the sound of your voice down the phone were dead giveaways.

 **Alex:** Are you okay? How did she take it?

 **Piper:** She was surprisingly supportive, which was relieving.

 **Alex:** That's really great, Pipes. I'm happy for you.

 **Alex:** Oh, and I'm also planning our next date. Make sure you're free one evening this week.

 **Piper:** Oh really now. May I ask what you're intending on doing?

 **Alex:** You might just find out what I'm doing if you stay sober this time.

The brunette laughs to herself, pleased with her response.

 **Alex:** You know what they say, patience is a virtue.

 **Piper:** Hmm I may have heard that one. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that's given to us.

 **Alex:** Did you just quote J.R.R Tolkien to me, Ms Chapman?

 **Piper:** Well, knowledge is power after all, Ms Vause.

 **Alex:** Well power technically comes from speed and strength. Speaking of which, are you still good for our session on Tuesday morning?

 **Piper:** Yeah, Tuesday's great. Thanks, Al x

 **Alex:** My pleasure, Pipes. See you then x

Putting her phone down, the brunette returns back to her laptop screen, checking a list of local restaurants. Looking for one she hasn't been to herself, she finds a new Italian thats location is convenient for both herself and Piper to travel to after work. Looking to book a reservation, she soon figures out that as it's newly opened, reservations can only be made in person, _that's fucking stupid_ , she thinks.

Writing a reminder in her phone to visit one day after work, she closes down her laptop, returning to her bedroom to put it away. Looking at her messy, unmade bed, the brunette smiles to herself, thinking back to the comical events of her weekend, _I'm royally fucked_.


	7. Chapter 7

Sitting in a small, modern Italian restaurant, Piper's beginning to regret promising Polly she'd join for dinner. Situated opposite her best friend, who is sitting next to her boyfriend, Pete, the blonde ended up next to Pete's friend, Larry, who after initially coming across as friendly, turned out to be irrevocably annoying. She learned that he's a writer currently looking for a place to take him on, _so you're not a writer_ , the blonde thinks, and his outfit of choice, albeit suiting his nerdy personality, makes the blonde almost feel bad for the man. He clearly made an effort with his outfit choice, complying with the stereotypical geeky combination of a shirt and sweater, the latter of which is an olive green colour, navy trousers, and black shoes, but his poor attempts at conversing with the blonde throughout the evening is getting old.

Everything the man does makes her feel slightly uncomfortable, and when he leaves the table to order drinks from the bar with Pete, the blonde, filled with anger, looks to Polly.

"Pol I thought you said Pete would tell Larry I'm not interested?!" she whisper-shouts, wishing the evening was over.

"Oh Pipes, Larry's harmless."

"Polly are you fucking blind. He's been trying to subtly flirt with me for the last hour, which he's awfully failing at. Can't he take a hint, Jesus." Squinting her eyes, the blonde further presses, "You didn't answer my question."

"I did mention it to Pete, Piper. I just don't know if he spoke to him…" she wavers off, lowering her head slightly. After hearing the blonde in front of her sigh and place her head in her hands, the brunette comes up with an idea. "Why don't we swap seats. I'll sit next to him."

"Oh how courteous of you," the blonde retorts sarcastically, but before they get the chance to swap, the men return with the drinks.

"You must really like tequila, Piper," Larry says, referring to her drink, and the fact that the dessert she ordered is also infused with the beverage.

"Is there a problem with that?" the blonde asks, probably too harshly, but she isn't in the mood for Larry's advances.

"No it's not I was just -"

Before he can continue what he's saying, they're interrupted by a ringing phone. After identifying that it's Pete's, who's scalded by Polly for answering it at the table, he soon announces that he's needed at the office as someone locked themselves out. Giving a sigh of relief that the evening has now come to a close, the blonde wasn't prepared for what happens next. Pete goes to pay the bill, insisting it's his treat, while Polly heads to the restroom, _fucking bitch_ , Piper thinks, after realising he's been left alone with Larry.

"Finally alone," Larry states, stretching his right arm over the back of Piper's chair.

"What?" the blonde questions, turning her head left to face Larry.

"Piper I know Pete mentioned that you're seeing someone, but I sense we have a connection, and, was um... I was wondering if you'd let me take you out," Larry asks, moving his hand to rest on the blonde's shoulder.

"Larry I'm -" the blonde attempts to mitigate the situation, but is interrupted.

"Come on," he says, leaning towards her ear, "I'm not with anyone."

"Larry no, like you said, I'm seeing someone," the blonde says, trying to create some distance between them.

"Why see someone else when you could be seeing me?" he asks, moving forward again to push the blonde's hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her jaw.

Before she has the chance to push the man away, something - more like someone - catches her eye. Standing by the desk near the door, evidently slightly damp from the rain outside, stands the brunette whose been dominating her thoughts as of recent, the brunette who she's dating; the brunette who happens to have been watching the whole encounter between herself and Larry.

Pushing the man away and standing up from her chair, the blonde's mind is in overdrive in attempt to explain what she just witnessed to the brunette, who's no longer watching, instead turning to leave.

"Piper where -" Larry attempts to ask, instead being brushed off, feeling defeated.

"Al!" the blonde shouts, not caring if she causes a scene. "Alex wait," she shouts again as the brunette opens the restaurant's door, leaving into the pouring rain.

Following her actions, she approaches the brunette, who's now standing on the pavement, running a hand through her wavy hair, not caring about the rain.

"Alex it's not what you think he -"

"He what Piper?" she shouts, turning around to face the blonde, "He dragged you to a restaurant against your will, flirted with you and started to touch you up?"

"That's not what ha -" the blonde attempts to explain, feeling her eyes swell with emotion, a mirror of those of her companion's, wet with moisture that certainly isn't rain water.

"So one minute you're in my bed and the next you're going out with some guy? Is that what I am to you? A piece on the side? An experiment? Because by the looks of it, everything you said about wanting to see where this goes was bullshit," the brunette shouts, her voice raised in jealousy.

"Alex please let me explain, I didn't do anything wrong," the blonde pleads desperately.

"Oh I think you've done more than enough," the brunette says, turning to start walking away.

"Al, please," the blonde begs, tears flowing down her cheeks. "He's a friend of Polly's boyfriend - they're here too. I told him I'm seeing someone. I need you to understand, Alex. I wouldn't do anything to sabotage what we have."

Turning back one last time, the brunette looks drained by the situation, "I get it, Pipes. You haven't done anything wrong, it's not like we're an official couple or anything. Do what you want."

With that, the brunette walks away, leaving the blonde, stunned by what just transpired, standing in the soaking rain - the least of her worries - with tears running down her cheeks.

"Pipes," comes a voice from behind.

Turning around, Piper now sees that it was Polly, who, followed by Pete and Larry, are standing outside the restaurant.

"Don't you fucking _Pipes_ me," she shouts, approaching her audience.

"You," she points at Pete, "had one fucking job in telling your fucking friend I'm not interested," she shouts.

"And you," she says pointing at Larry, "you need to take a fucking hint. Watching paint dry would be more entertaining than being with you. I don't want to fuck you. I'm never going to want to fuck you," she vents, and seeing Larry take a step towards her, she lashes out, pushing him backwards. "Don't you fucking come near me," she shouts, her voice faltering through the lump in her throat. "That was the person I'm seeing. The _woman_ I'm seeing. And if you've fucked this up for me, you'll be knowing about it."

Turning away, Piper walks off, ignoring Polly's call of her name, and heads to Alex's apartment. After pressing the buzzer several times with no answer, along with reaching her voicemail every time she calls, the blonde decides to sit and wait for Alex's return, she mustn't be home yet, she thinks. By the time it's 1am, Piper decides to head home, tired of sitting in the cold, wishing she could fully explain what happened to the brunette.

* * *

Her arms swing forward repeatedly, tensing her muscles; her scrunched forehead tempts a thick, prominent vein along her temple, similar to the ones running along her biceps; her body, drenched in sweat, causes her grey t-shirt to cling to her body like a new layer of skin.

Having been hitting the punching bag continually with a feral nature for the last hour and a half, the brunette, unable to ignore her aching muscles, slows her tempo to an eventual hault. She removes her grey t-shirt, leaving herself dressed in a black Nike sports bra, her abdominal area covered in sweat, and, leaning forward, she embraces the punching bag that's swinging from the ceiling from a metal chain. Swaying slowly, while trying to regulate her breathing, she can't help but think about how this evening had unexpectedly turned out. In an attempt to book a reservation for herself and the blonde in the Italian restaurant she had found online, the brunette ended up getting more than what she bargained for.

The woman at the entry desk was polite, kindly asking the brunette if she could wait while she went to collect a pen to book her reservation; and while scanning the small, modern space, Alex's eyes fell on a familiar blonde. The said blonde who was in her bed two nights previously. The blonde who was sitting at a table with a man, who, by the looks of it, had it in for her, from the view of his hand brushing her hair after whispering in her ear. The blonde who, after connecting with the brunette's green eyes, looked like a rabbit caught in headlines, almost as though she was already pleading guilty.

To top it all off, thinking back to the argument in the street makes the brunette feel worse. Despite her anger and overwhelming bout of jealousy, the sight of the blonde pleading with tears streaming down her face didn't help the situation. Although the argument perhaps caused an unnecessary scene, Alex couldn't ignore her emotions - her gut feeling. Opening up to someone isn't in her nature, and at the age of 29, the urge to escape her own head is still present - it always will be, so at the early hours of what is now Tuesday morning, the brunette finds herself at her gym, tiring herself out, like she would in her early years, except she isn't escaping the bullies; she's escaping her own demons.

The punching bag, she remembers, is the one she used with Piper during her first personal training session, where they were pressed up against one another. With a sudden feeling of apprehension, the brunette no longer feels comfortable with her surroundings, so, putting away her boxing gloves and grabbing her belongings, she showers and then heads up to her office.

Seeing that it's nearing 1am _how long was I down there_?, she thinks, Alex checks her schedule for the next day, hoping her first appointment isn't until the afternoon.

"Fuck," she mutters to herself, seeing that her first and only appointment for the day is with the one and only Piper Chapman at 11am.

In a sudden feeling of tiredness, the brunette decides she won't be heading home this evening, and will instead sleep on the sofa bed in her office. Not only will she hopefully be able to get to sleep quicker, but Alex can also avoid running into Piper upon her - supposed - awaited arrival at work in a few hours.

Getting out her phone and turning it on, the brunette sees 12 missed calls, each with a voicemail attached, paired with a string of text messages, from Piper. She reluctantly listens through the voicemails sparingly, skipping over the last few, feeling uncomfortable listening to the blonde crying down the phone, with a litany of phrases consisting of 'please' and 'let me explain'. As she goes to do what she intended on doing when turning on her phone, one last text message comes rolling in.

 **Piper:** Al I couldn't sit in the cold any longer. Please just call me back, let me explain. This can't be it for us, Alex, it can't.

Tilting her head back, her eyes fighting back tears, the brunette stands her ground, typing out her response.

 **Alex:** Can't make training this week. Something's come up.

Turning off her phone again, the brunette pulls out the sofa bed, turns off the light, and gets into her makeshift bed. Clad in tracksuit bottoms and a clean gym instructor top, she hopes she can sleep somewhat peacefully without her dreams being plagued by a certain blonde.

* * *

Lying in bed on her back, Piper can't sleep. She knows she hasn't done anything wrong, but can't stop the image of the dejected, yet spiteful, version of Alex she witnessed hours prior. Her thoughts are disturbed by her phone, resting on the nightstand, which lights up her pitch-black bedroom. Leaning over, hoping Alex has finally reached out to her, she's perturbed by what the message says.

 **Alex:** Can't make training this week. Something's come up.

After staring at her phone, not knowing what to say or do, the blonde puts her phone back on the sideboard, shifting onto her side, bringing the covers up to her chin. Her eyes begin to leak with tears, and eventually, they flow freely, letting the emotional turmoil of this evening reach its - as of recent - peak. She turns her head left, sinking into the pillow, hoping the sounds of her crying will be muffled out, and that sleep will find her soon - neither looking as though they'll occur anytime soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's a double update, so make sure to check Chapter 7 if you missed it. Keep the reviews flowing!**

* * *

"Piper I get you're upset right now, but if you're just going to stand there looking out the window, then there's no point in you being here," says Polly as no customers are currently in the store, "It is your day off, remember?"

"I know, Pol, it's just needed the distraction… Why won't she answer any of my calls or texts?"

"Well you do remember what happened last night, don't you?" the brunette says through a chuckle.

Turning angrily to face her best friend, the blonde retorts angrily, "Of course I do, Polly. If it wasn't for your fucking boyfriend and his fucking inability to give across a fucking message to his fucking friend, I wouldn't be in this fucking position!"

"You can't blame Pete for his friend being a dumbass, Pipes," Polly says, continuing in an attempt to lighten Piper's mood. "Are you saying _fucking_ that much to channel the energy of your personal lack of fucking?"

"Pol- "

"Okay, I'm sorry. Why don't you just go over there and apologise?" the brunette asks, indicating towards Alex's workplace across the road.

"She hasn't arrived yet - I haven't seen her go in," the blonde ponders off, craning her neck to check for movement at the gym's glass door. "And why would I be apologising? I didn't do anything wrong, Polly. I told Larry I was seeing someone and that I wasn't interested."

"It just seems like your argument was, well… quite intense. I don't know, Pipe, maybe just go and see her to talk instead of staring out the window like a pussy." Contemplating for a second, the brunette continues, "Wait aren't you meant to be training with her today?"

"She cancelled. _Something came up_ ," the blonde mimics, using her fingers as quotation marks. "That's why I can't just go over there, Pol."

"Sure you can, Pipes. Go get your girl back."

"She wasn't even my girl in the first place to be getting her back."

"Then go get the girl," Polly says, holding out her arms, as though stating the obvious. "But first you need to send that email over to the delivery suppliers; they fucked up again," she continues, rolling her eyes in mock horror.

"Yeah, sure," the blonde says, heading to her office before turning around. "Thanks, Pol."

"You can thank me later, you stupid lesbian," she replies, smiling at her best friend.

Arriving in her office, the blonde types out and sends an email to their delivery suppliers as requested by Polly, and as noon approaches, she leans back in her chair, taking a glance out the window. Surprised to finally be seeing some form of activity across the road, Piper sees a woman standing outside the building, as though waiting for someone. As predicted, the glass door opens, and with a smile etched across her face, Alex exits the building, dressed in navy skinny jeans and a grey sweatshirt. She greets the woman, who, despite being smaller, shares the same dark hair colour, pulling her into a hug while giving her a kiss on the cheek, something that sparks a cycle of jealousy stemming from within the blonde's stomach. Not sure she wants to continue watching, the blonde sees the two talk for a minute, before the unknown woman links her arm with Alex's, laughing at whatever they're saying, as they walk off. Even from afar, the pair's palpable - perhaps special - connection is evident.

Feeling both envious and disheartened, the blonde tries to mentally assess the situation: Alex calls off their session because 'something came up', which she initially thought was due to their fiery argument, but now she isn't so sure. Would Alex really go off with another woman over a unimportant misunderstanding? Hoping that something genuinely came up and not _someone_ , the blonde heads to PoPi's stockroom, immersing herself in work, trying to forget about all about Alex Vause, even if it's just for an hour or two.

* * *

After what she could describe as a mediocre sleep, Alex is rudely awakened by none other than her best friend, Nicky Nichols.

"Vause where the fuck is the cleaning spray?" the wild-haired woman asks, storming into Alex's office.

The brunette, who is now awake, groaning at her friend's volume, leans over to turn on her iPhone, squinting at the brightness of the white loading page.

"What the hell, Nichols? I'm trying to sleep here."

"I can see that. Why are you sleeping in your office and not at your apartment? Those long legs tired out by blondie to walk home?"

"Nic we haven't had sex. It doesn't look like that'll be happening anytime soon," she says clicking the button of her iPhone to check the time, surprised it's 10am. "Really? You decide to come in here to ask about cleaning spray? It's in the cupboard downstairs where it's kept everyday and has been for the last 3 years, Nic," the brunette says with a hint of agitation.

"Jesus, Vause, what's got your panties in a twist? Blondie want to wait before marriage?"

"Nicky will you just shut the fuck up about her! I told you where your spray is, now either go do what you normally do this early and let me sleep," she shouts, turning over, phone still in her hand.

" _This early_ my ass. You're lucky you have no clients today to be sleeping in, Vause."

The door to her office shuts, and under the belief that Nicky left the room, the brunette scrolls through her notifications, one of which is a message sent from Piper at 6:03.

 **Piper:** Alex please don't shut me out. Just give me a call - let's talk, this is all just one big misunderstanding.

It's at this moment the brunette feels sorry. Sorry that her adult being has resulted to ignoring the blonde, but also for herself. Sorry that she let herself get too emotionally invested in something that wasn't official.

"Motherfucker," she says as she sighs, turning to put her phone back on the side table. She soon discovers that her wild-haired best friend didn't leave the room at all, instead she currently inhabits the office chair situated opposite her own desk chair, staring in question.

"Who's a motherfucker?"

"Piper."

"Piper fucked her mother? Jesus, now that's fucked up," Nicky says, laughing.

"No, of course she didn't, dumbass. We argued last night, and I don't know what to do about it."

Nicky, instead of replying, nods her head, prompting for an explanation, and for the next 20 minutes, Alex explains what happened, while Nicky, trying not to interrupt, listens intently.

"So let me get this straight. You're pissed at Piper because she was with a guy in a restaurant and you saw him flirting with her?"

"Well that's not the only bit, Nic."

"Did she flirt back? Did she look happy? Was she smiling? Did she explain why she was alone with this guy? Did she - "

"Okay, Nic I get it! I don't know! I don't fucking know because what I do know is that she was letting this asshole touch her days after she was in bed with me!"

"Bingo!" the wild-haired woman says, leaning back in her chair, arms crossing her chest.

"What?" asks the brunette, "And if you fucking ask if we slept together one more time, Nicky, I swear to God I'll -"

"You'll what? Ignore my calls and messages," the blonde says, looking down at the vibrating phone on the table, indicating someone's trying to contact her best friend.

"Answer the phone, Vause, or at least sort your fucking life out. Stop being such a jealous pussy and talk to the girl. I don't have time for your lesbian drama."

"I'm not jeal-" Before she can finish her sentence, her office door shuts again, this time leaving her alone with the ringing phone and her thoughts.

The phone rings off, and half expecting a voicemail to appear, Alex waits. When she doesn't receive a follow-up notification, she decides to listen to the final voicemail she hadn't opened, one received when her phone was turned off. Picking it up and putting it to her ear, she listens, closing her eyes at the sound of Piper's voice.

 _Hi Al, it's me again, Piper. I'm just calling to say I got your message. I don't know if you're not getting mine or if you're ignoring me, but we need to talk about this. I um… I need to just hear your voice, know if you're okay. I'll stop leaving these now since you probably aren't checking them. I'll um… talk soon? Okay. Um… I'm gonna go now. Bye Al._

After saving and listening to the voicemail 3 times on repeat, Alex can clearly identify how tired the blonde's voice sounds down the phone; however, she can't help but find the blonde's message endearingly adorable. Her stuttering, a trait of her nervousness, while humorous, reminds the brunette of what her best friend vocalised. Was she really being a jealous pussy? Getting up and walking towards her desk, Alex instinctively looks out the window, peering into PoPi's shop front, and after snapping herself out of her thoughts, she sits down, immersing herself in client emails.

Having managed to successfully take her mind off the blonde for just shy of two hours, the brunette's desk phone rings, the number on the device indicating it's from reception.

"Hello?" Alex says in question.

"Hi Alex, you have someone waiting outside for you," says Lorna in a cheerful mood.

"Oh I'm not expecting anyone - I don't have any clients today. Are you sure it's for me?"

"Well the last time I remembered you're the only Alex that works here. Now hurry up before they leave."

With that, Lorna hangs up the phone, leaving the brunette suddenly in a state of panic. What if it's Piper?, she thinks to herself. Sure she listened to her voicemail, but that doesn't mean she's quite ready to face her yet. Taking a deep breath, she thinks back to Nicky telling her not to be a pussy - how motivational, and leaves her office, grabbing a grey sweatshirt on her way.

Reaching the reception with no sight of the blonde, the brunette feels relieved, and after seeing who's really waiting for her outside, all of her current worries abandon her subconscious.

Opening the glass door with a smile across her lips, Alex is blessed by the sight of her mother, Diane Vause, who's standing proudly, mirroring a smile as she eyes her daughter. Alex steps forward, opening her arms wide, eloping her mother into a hug while kissing her cheek, feeling comfort in the arms of the person she looks up to most.

"Mom what're you doing here?"

"Can't a mother come and see her favourite daughter?"

Receiving a stern look from Alex, Diane continues, "Okay - well I read the reviews for this new soap shop around here, and since it's opposite, I thought I'd come and see you."

"Mom you drove 40 minutes for soap?" Alex says, laughing.

"Shut up," Diane says, linking her arm with Alex's. "I thought we could go there now and then we can head for lunch if you aren't busy."

Suddenly panicked by the idea of her mother taking her into PoPi with the high chance of seeing Piper, Alex beats her to it, directing them the other way, saying she'll go on her mother's behalf later, that they should go for food before it gets too busy.

At seeing the sudden flash of panic in her daughter's eyes at the mention of going into the shop opposite, Diane decides to play along, mentally noting to press further over lunch.

* * *

"So are you gonna tell me why you panicked when I mentioned the soap shop earlier, or am I gonna have to guess?" asks Diane, feeling the time is right to finally approach the subject.

"What're talking about?" replies Alex, sipping some water, trying to remain cool and hide the fact that she nearly choked on her piece of bacon.

"Cut the bullshit, Al. I raised you. I know when you're lying."

Knowing her mother is the person who knows her best - followed by Nicky, the brunette explains the entire situation to her mother, starting from the moment she met Piper one evening on the street nearly two months prior.

"Did you let her explain what happened though, Al?"

Looking down, feeling internally guilty for how the minut situation's affecting her, Alex shakes her head, her eyes filling with emotion.

Sensing her daughter's emotional distress, Diane tries to lighten the moment.

"I'd love to meet her, Al. She sounds like a right catch."

"Mom it's not like she's my girlfriend. We're just dating. I haven't caught anything."

"Oh but you have, Al. This Piper girl seems to have made quite the mark on you." Reaching across to grab her daughter's hands, Diane continues, "Just talk to her, Alex. I didn't raise you to hide like this. All I'm saying is that when she next calls, answer her. Talk to her." Moving back to her side of the table, Diane concludes, "Oh and I'm staying at your apartment tonight. I'm not leaving until I get my soap."

"Mom I'm 29. I can deal with this on my own," Alex says, sensing this isn't just about soap.

"And look where that's gotten you so far?" Diane remarks, smiling at the fact that her daughter - deep down inside - agrees with her.

* * *

It's been an entire day since Piper last contacted Alex, and after seeing the brunette with the mysterious woman, Piper left work early. Tired of being ignored, and being that it's a new day - a day she coincidentally has off work due to PoPi's rota formation, the blonde decides she's going to tackle Alex's childish behaviour head-on.

Dressing herself in black Nike running shorts, a black running vest top and matching trainers, Piper ties her hair up into a ponytail, fills up her water bottle, and heads for the gym.

Upon her entry, she's greeted by a normally cheerful Lorna, who she's gotten to know more about on the occasions she's frequented Red's bar with Alex, but today, she seems surprised by her presence.

"Piper! It's great to see you again. Do you have an appointment with Alex today?"

"No. Not today. I'm just here to let off some steam by myself," the blonde says, handing her membership card over to be scanned.

"Oh great! Well let me know if there's anything I can do to help," the receptionist says, smiling.

"Of course. Thank you, Lorna," Piper replies, smiling politely.

Pulling the double doors open, Piper enters the main work out space, and as soon as she enters, she spots Alex. The brunette, who's standing in her work clothes - a polo with shorts and running shoes, is obviously working with a client - an older looking red-haired lady who she's currently giving instructions to regarding running on a treadmill.

Choosing a treadmill a fair distance away, Piper begins her workout on the machine, carrying out the initial opening routine she does when she's normally training with Alex.

Trying her best to not be too obvious with her eavesdropping, being that the blonde didn't bring headphones, she learns Alex's client, Sylvie, is having some difficulties complying with her instructions, running in a straight-line isn't that hard, Piper thinks to herself. Finding a strange source of comfort from the brunette's voice, the blonde is pulled out of her focus, as the husky voice of the brunette come to a standstill, as though star-struck.

"Okay, Sylvie. Why don't you watch the technique of the other people on the machines. How about that lady there?" she says, unknowingly pointing at Piper.

"Which one?" she hears Sylvie ask.

"The one that's three machines away. The blonde- "

And in that moment, Piper knows Alex has seen her. Confident that she's got the brunette's attention, she increases her speed, running at a quicker, more impressive pace.

* * *

 _Fuck_ , Alex thinks to herself as she sets her eyes on Piper for the first time since their argument two days ago. Despite her conversation with her mother, Alex wouldn't be the one to instigate the conversation - not wanting to embarrass herself for giving up so easily, and although she should still be mad at the blonde, she can't help but admire how attractive she looks.

With her hair tied back, her perfect jawline is visible, something Alex grew fond of holding when kissing the blonde, and sweat evidently drips down her neck, spreading across her collar bones and down the dip of her vest top, similar to the path Alex's tongue followed on one particularly heated occasion. Don't get her started on the blonde's ass. Although not the largest, it suits her body shape, and in its up and down movement, the brunette can't help but imagine what its like to have her hands on it again, but this time while such movements are similarly replicated due to more… _advanced_ adult activities.

"Alex!" she's snapped back to reality by Sylvie's voice. "The timer's going.

Realising she spent the rest of Sylvie's running session ogling the blonde, they move to the mats, with Alex hoping that she won't get distracted, and that Sylvie doesn't try to get in her pants as per usual.

After spending some time stretching on the mats, Alex begins to realise that doing so wasn't a great idea. Sylvie, with her non-stop flirting, often manipulates her movements, putting them both into rather compromising positions, and with the blonde working two mats away, the brunette hopes she lasts until the end of this session before Sylvie says something that could potentially turn their argument into a full-blown war.

With Sylvie bent forwards, her knees and elbows resting on the mat's surface, Alex kneela over the back of her legs, careful to not make any bodily contact.

"Remember we did a position similar to this last time? That was so hot. You came so hard that night."

Eyes widening, the brunette realises the very worst of an already very fucked up situation has occurred, and looking to her left, where Piper was working, she's met with unreadable blue eyes staring holes into her own green ones, the blonde's jaw obviously flexed with tension.

"Sylvie that was a long time ago. It's never going to happen again," the brunette says moving back, hoping she was loud enough for the blonde to hear.

Suddenly, Sylvie drops onto her front, rolling over to her back, and places her hands on Alex's hips, tugging them forwards slightly.

"Come on, Alex. I know what you like. You need wild, frequent sex. Something you're used to me giving you."

Out of her peripheral vision, Alex can see a blob of blonde hair moving, and as she looks over, her eyes again meet Piper's, whose are swimming with emotion, while they scan the compromising position Alex has found herself in. As Alex goes to open her mouth, all words fail her. Sylvie drags a hand along Alex's neck and down her breast, resting at her hip, trying to pull at the waistband of her shorts. Turning back to face the blonde, Alex can now see her wiping her eyes as she walks out of the room's double doors. Pushing Sylvie off her body, Alex stands up and looks around. The room is practically empty, bar two people rowing with headphones in out of their range, meaning there weren't any witnesses.

"What the fuck, Sylvie. What is fucking wrong with you," she whisper-shouts angrily.

"Come on, Alex. We haven't fucked in months."

"And why do you think that is? Because I don't want to fuck you," Alex says, her voice getting louder. "Get the fuck out of here and don't come back. We're done. Find yourself a new personal trainer."

Ignoring Sylvie's calls of her name, Alex exits the room, telling the security guard to remove her from the premises on her way, as she approaches Lorna, looking for information.

"Lorna have you seen -"

"She's in the staff toilets with Nicky. I don't know what happened, Alex, but you need to fix this," Lorna replies, as Alex runs up the stairs to the staff toilets.

Opening the door quietly, not wanting to make the situation worse, she sees one cubicle door shut, the sound of crying, and underneath the slit of the door, she can make out Nicky's crouching position, from where she guesses Piper's sitting on the closed toilet seat.

"Nicky it was like she didn't even care I was there," the blonde choked out through sobs. "That woman was all over her the entire time, flirting with her, talking about how hard she made her cum, and all Alex does is stare at me. She hasn't let me touch her like that. I haven't even had the chance to make her cum. Why doesn't she want me?"

At hearing that admission, the brunette's heart breaks for the blonde. There's nothing she wants more than for them to intimately connect, but the right time hadn't yet arisen.

"Piper I can tell you straight up that Alex does want you. She's never like this. She never looks out her window smiling while typing on her phone, she never completely changes her schedule just to fit one weekly Tuesday morning appointment, and she most certainly doesn't cry herself to sleep in her office and then wake up at 10am the next morning."

Not being able to see the blonde's face, Alex wonders how the blonde's processing that information, and while Alex is slightly annoyed that Nicky told Piper she cried herself to sleep over the situation, she's grateful for her best friend.

"But what about that woman from yesterday. The one that she hugged and kissed on the cheek. It's just… I know I've never been with a woman, but I can't help how I feel, Nicky. I have feeling too, you know," the blonde says, a new set of tears evident from her wavering voice. "I know she was mad about the whole Larry thing, but has she really just moved on a day later?"

"Piper look at me," Alex hears her best friend say, "Alex hasn't moved on from you at all, that woman from yesterday was -"

Nicky stops talking as the brunette shifts her weight, giving away the fact that someone's in the room. The stall door opens ajar, revealing Nicky's face, who signals for the brunette to leave, mouthing 'go home'. Not wanting the blonde to know she heard her admissions, Alex complies, knowing that this time, it was her who fucked up.

Her arrival at home was a strange one; her mother insisted on making dinner before she leaves, and after realising she doesn't have all the ingredients, Alex is sent out to buy ingredients. _Can this day get any worse_ , she thinks to herself.

* * *

"Nicky where are we going?" asks Piper, who, currently seated in the passenger seat of Nicky's car, is blindfolded by a jumper.

"Stop with the questions, blondie. Trust me."

After being interrupted when pouring out her emotions to Nicky in the bathroom, the wild-haired woman left for about a minute, saying she had an 'important call' to make. After being persuaded to let Nicky cheer her up, the blonde agreed to her request of a 'surprise car ride'.

Unknowingly to the blonde, to make the journey seem longer, her wild-haired companion is driving in circles, being that their location is normally a 5 minute drive away.

"We're here, blondie," Nicky says, having parked outside their destination.

"Can I take this off now?" Piper asks, wanting to know where they are.

"No!" Nicky shouts, taking out her phone and sending a text. After receiving the response she was looking for, she guides the blonde out of the car and into the building's elevator.

"Where the hell are we, Nicky?"

"Just be patient. We're nearly there."

The sound of the elevator's ring fills Piper's ears, indicating they're nearly at their location, and after being guided by Nicky, they come to a stand-still.

"Now we're really here," Nicky says, to the sound of a moving key and an opening door. "Follow me."

"I have no choice, do I?"

Finally untying the jumper from Piper's head, she immediately knows where she is: Alex's apartment.

"Nicky, why are we here?"

"You're here because you two couldn't sort your shit out. So if you're not still here by the time Alex gets home, this won't end well for you, Piper," Nicky says seriously, indicated by the blonde being called by her first name. "Now sit here and enjoy," Nicky says, running to the door laughing.

"Nicky where are you-" the front door slams, "going?" Confused as to what's happening, the blonde quickly learns that this is a set up. Whatever happens next will be a surprise for both herself and Alex.

Now that she's alone in Alex's apartment, Piper opens a bottle of wine, pouring it into two glasses, waiting at the square table in the dining area that's lit with two candles.. Looking up at the set of pictures on the wall, she sees Alex with a smaller, very similar looking woman, _that must be her mom_ , Piper thinks.

* * *

Turning her key into the door, pissed off that she had to visit 3 stores for one branded product, Alex enters her apartment.

"Mom I'm back," she calls out, putting her keys on the table. A handwritten note catches her eye: ' _Blame Nicky. Thanks for having me. Mom x._ '

Feeling confused as to what her mother means, Alex proceeds to carry the shopping into the kitchen, soon finding her answer. Sitting at her candle-lit dinner table is the one and only Piper Chapman, holding a glass of wine, smiling sheepishly.

"What the fuck?" she says in confusion.


	9. Chapter 9

**The longest chapter yet - I think you'll like how this one finishes! (Pun intended...)**

* * *

"Piper? What're you doing here?"

"Hello to you too," the blonde replies, putting her wine glass down onto the table. "To be honest with you, Alex, I have no idea. Nicky said she had a surprise for me, blindfolded me for the entire drive, and then brought me here, leaving before I knew why."

"I'm going to fucking kill her," Alex says, walking to the kitchen counter, putting the shopping bag on the top. "Well it looks like I was sent shopping for no reason," she ponders, "What about my mom? She stayed over last night. Did you not see her?"

"Alex, all I know is that we need to, and I quote, _sort our shit out_ , " the blonde says, holding up a piece of paper with the message written, something Nicky left behind before running out of the apartment. "But I wasn't planning on staying long," Piper says, getting up from her chair, "I just thought I'd wait for you to come back."

Holding out her arm, the brunette grabs the blonde's wrist, stopping her movements, "Stay. Please. We need to talk, Piper. I know I've been acting shitty recently, but I… I can explain, which I know is ironic because I've been ignoring you, but after what you saw today I need to- "

"So you were ignoring me?" the blonde asks, pulling her wrist out of Alex's grasp.

"Piper I'm trying to say I'm sorry for being an asshole and talk this through, but if you're not going to compromise, then maybe this isn't worth it," the brunette raises her voice, pointing towards the dinner set-up in front of them.

Seeing that the brunette's being sincere, the blonde returns to the table, "Well, aren't you going to join me?"

* * *

Having collected their food that was previously stationed by the stove, protected by upside down plates, the pair now sit opposite one another, eating their meals. Alex immediately realised this was her mom's input in regards to the secret plan she seemingly had with her best friend, and in any other situation, it would have been more timely - romantic even, but as the pair eat in silence, Piper can't take the awkwardness any longer.

"Are you going to let me explain what happened with Larry the other evening without interrupting or walking off?"

Alex nods, feeling guilty for the blonde's harsh tone.

"I promised Polly I'd go to dinner with her, her boyfriend, and his friend during PoPi's opening week as a celebration, but then life got in the way, and I spent all my free time with you," Piper says, meeting the brunette's green eyes. "After Polly found out we were dating, she promised she'd tell Pete to tell his friend I wasn't interested, as she seems to make it her mission to try and set me up, which it obviously initially was. He tried to flirt with me all evening, even though I was obviously not into him. When Pete went to get the bill and Polly went to the toilet, he asked me out, and even though I told him I was seeing someone and tried to move away, he wouldn't hear me out, and then you saw what you saw. I didn't ask for him to do what he did, Al." Taking a bite of her dinner, her jaw flexing as she chews, the blonde continues. "When you left after our argument, that asshole tried it again, so I pushed him away, telling him you were the woman I was seeing. I then went to your apartment and waited outside for you there, but by the time it reached 1am, I left. I supposed you didn't want to see me, considering you were ignoring my texts and calls."

Pushing her cutlery together, resting them in the middle of her plate, mirroring Alex's, Piper concludes, "Al, I can understand you didn't like what you walked in on, but I had no intention in… have no intention in entering something along romantic lines at this stage in my life unless it's with you."

Seeing honesty in blonde's eyes, the brunette feels guilty for her actions. "Fuck, Pipes. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm new to this, you know, whole dating thing, and just seeing him touching you like that made me question what was going on between us. Whether you felt the same way I do. I know I jumped to conclusions, I'm sorry, Piper. I really am. For the argument, for ignoring you, for cancelling… for today," she says through a sigh, leaning back into her chair, tilting her head upwards.

"Sylvie and I have a short history together. Since the gym opened 3 years ago, it's been my priority; it's not something I want to fuck up like I do with most things in my life if you haven't already gathered that. I've been training her for about 7 months, and we were fuck buddies for about 6 of them, until she wanted more and I put a stop to it. I've never been a relationship person, the idea of commitment scares me… scared me." Seeing the blonde opposite her listening intently, she continues, "Sylvie just can't take a hint. She thinks I'm playing hard to get, which I'm not, but what you saw today, Pipes, I didn't mean to upset you. If I'm being honest, I think Sylvie was jealous that I spent most of her session staring at you," with this admission, the blonde's cheeks flush. "When you left, I kicked her out, calling security on her, so you can have Wednesday slots if you want from now on," the brunette laughs lightly, receiving a smile in return.

"I'm still listening," says the blonde, as she gets up, gathering their plates and putting them into the sink, causing the brunette to also get up, pushing her chair in.

"That was my mom you saw me with on the street today," Alex says, causing the blonde to turn around, eyes wide. "I heard you and Nicky in the bathroom."

"Alex you weren't meant to- "

"I know. I know I wasn't meant to hear and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made you cry. I'm sorry I said all the wrong things. I'm sorry that you thought I'd moved on with another woman. I'm sorry you think that I don't want you," the brunette rapidly rants, before her voice eventually slows down in speed. "Piper I don't care that you haven't been with a woman before. I care about you. You're this funny and intelligent and stunning human being, and quite frankly, it scares me shitless how you've made me turn on the morals i've always depended on in the space of just under 2 months. I want you Piper Chapman, in ways i've never wanted a person before."

Before she has the chance to think of what to do next, Alex's lips are attacked by the blonde's, sealing a searing kiss. The brunette's arms incase Piper's hips, while the blonde loops hers around Alex's neck, humming contently, before pulling away, moving her head into the nook of the taller woman's neck, as they envelope into a hug.

"I'm sorry I made you cry too. I'm sorry I doubted you, doubted us, because I want you too, Alex Vause, in ways unimaginable.

The pair hug in silence, which is soon broken by the brunette in question.

"Pipes?"

"Yeah."

"Look at me for a second."

The blonde removes her head from the brunette's neck, blue eyes meeting green.

"Now I can do what I had planned."

"Al this was set-up, you can't exactly claim it as your plan."

"Not that, Einstein. The part where I ask you to be my girlfriend."

"Oh. Wait, what?" the blonde asks, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Not that, Einstein. The part where I ask you to be my girlfriend," Alex repeats.

"I heard what you said, Al."

"So why did you say what?" she asks, laughing.

"I didn't mean it literally," Piper exclaims.

"Well I do," Alex says, dropping her comical act, before continuing. "Piper Chapman: will you be my girlfriend?"

Smiling widely at Alex's question, the blonde can't believe her luck.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Alex Vause."

"So that's a yes?"

"Yes, you idiot," the blonde replies, laughing at the brunette's attentiveness.

Reaching for her jaw, the brunette caresses Piper's cheek, smiling as she pulls her into their first kiss as an official couple.

* * *

The blonde weaves her hands into Alex's black locks, deepening the kiss, and as the brunette's tongue lines Piper's lower lip, seeking permission, she immediately grants entry, opening her mouth, allowing their tongues to meet passionately.

Pushing her weight towards, grabbing Piper's hips, the brunette pushes Piper up against the kitchen counter that isn't occupied, moving her mouth down to the blonde's neck, biting her pulse point.

Tilting her head back, the blonde lets out a soft moan, relishing in the feeling of the brunette's lips travelling across her neck and jawline, as she's suddenly lifted onto the kitchen counter. Grabbing the brunette's head, the blonde pulls their lips together once again, teeth clanking in the process, as she wraps her legs around her girlfriend's waist.

"Al," the blonde mutters breathily between kisses. "Alex."

"Hmm," the brunette acknowledges, not in the mood for conversation.

Putting her hands on either side of the brunette's jaw, Piper gently pushes her away, their eyes meeting.

"Take me to the bedroom."

"You sure?" the brunette asks, her chest quickly rising and falling.

Instead of providing a verbal response, the blonde does what she can't find the words to explain, and connects their lips in what, compared to their previous kisses, is unhurried - languid even, but when the brunette bites down on Piper's bottom lip, lifting her from the kitchen counter, the kiss soon becomes increasingly brisk, a representation of how long they've both desired for this moment.

Reaching the staircase leading to Alex's bedroom, the brunette rests Piper against the wall, breaking their kiss to attack her neck, biting down on her prominent collar bone. Pulling at the bottom of the blonde's vest top, the brunette snakes her hands to feel the skin underneath, and after the blonde's clearly growing restless from the movement of Alex's mouth and hands, she starts to lift the item up, removing the garment from Piper's raised arms. The sight of the blonde's torso, albeit partially covered by her black sports bra, makes Alex's mouth water, and before she gets caught up in her thoughts, Piper makes her need, yet again, known.

"Al, please. Go up the stairs," the blonde says, attempting to grind their bodies together with her legs still wrapped around her girlfriend's body.

Moving up the stairs, laughing when they nearly tripped, the couple arrive in Alex's bedroom; the brunette placing the blonde down on the bed, causing her to land on her back.

Breathing heavily, the blonde watches as the brunette removes her shirt, leaving her in a black laced bra and a black pair of jeans, something Piper assumes she changed into when she arrived home earlier that evening. Reaching down for the button of her jeans, Alex's movement is stopped, as the blonde sits up, resting her hands on top of her counterpart's.

"Let me," Piper says, her eyes pleading with Alex's.

Removing her hands, the brunette lets her girlfriend unbutton and unzip her jeans, only helping her pull them down when they reach her mid-thigh, revealing her simple cotton panties.

Unable to look away from her girlfriend's body as she stands in her underwear, the blonde's weight is pushed back onto the bed, as the brunette's body covers her own. Their lips meet in a passionate kiss, one that screams anticipation, excitement of what's about to happen. The brunette's hands grab the blonde's shorts, pulling them down, followed by looping her hands around Piper's back, pulling her sports bra over her head. Where she's now straddling her girlfriend as the blonde returns to the position on her back, her lacy underwear the only piece of clothing protecting her body, the brunette stares in awe. Leaning down to kiss the blonde's neck, Alex uses her tongue to scope her collarbone, travel down her sternum, landing at her chest.

Looking up at Piper, Alex can see her flushed face tilted back, anticipating the return of her mouth. The brunette runs her tongue around Piper's breasts, careful to avoid her nipples, which already stand hard, even in their so far neglected state.

"Al, please."

"Please what?"

"More."

"More what?" the brunette presses, enjoying her teasing of the woman below her.

"More of your mouth on me and less teasing," she shouts, moaning loudly as the brunette finally elopes her mouth around the blonde's right nipple.

Humming at the hardening of Piper's nipple, the brunette feels two hands weave into her hair, pressing down, indicating that the blonde wants rougher treatment. Using her teeth, Alex brushes against Piper's nipple, receiving the most intoxicating, breathy moan yet, and as she switches to the blonde's neglected nipple, she feels the hands move to her back, attempting to loosen the hooks of her bra.

"Fuck," the blonde says, frustrated that her fingers are deceiving her.

"Here, let me," the brunette says, pulling away from the blonde's chest, receiving a sigh in protest as she reaches behind to unhook her bra, throwing it in the direction of the rest of their clothes.

Smiling at the sight of Alex's chest, the blonde extends her arms forwards, covering her girlfriend's breasts with her hands, moaning at how full they feel in her hands.

"Fuck, Alex. I've wanted to touch these since I first met you in that low-cut top," the blonde says through a moan, feeling her already high arousal levels skyrocket, almost as though she could cum just from touching Alex's body.

"They're all yours now, Pipes," the brunette says, amused by Piper's reaction.

A sudden primal desire takes the blonde over at the thought of Alex belonging to her; leaning forward, she attacks the brunette's chest, sucking on her skin, hoping she leaves her mark, while the woman above her lets out a guttural moan.

Alex feels the increasing levels of wetness growing in her panties, and before she starts to give into Piper's touch, she takes control of the situation, wanting to please the blonde.

Placing her hands on the blonde's shoulders, Alex gently pushes her back, ensuring her head lands on the pillow. Snaking down Piper's body, peppering kisses from her lips down to her stomach, dipping her tongue into the blonde's belly button, Alex devotes her attention on her navel. Moving lower so that her face is inches from the blonde's laced panties, Alex can see the wetness leaking from behind the garment, a testament to the patch printed onto their front, and after placing her hands on the blonde's hips, Alex settles onto her stomach between Piper's legs. The blonde arches upwards as the brunette places kisses on her inner thighs, driven crazy by the proximity of where she needs her companion most.

"Al, please. Take them off," she pants through heavy breaths, "I need you."

Not being able to resist any longer, Alex moves her fingers to the waistband of the blonde's panties, pulling them down slowly, ensuring their eye contact is still intact. After lifting her body, allowing Piper to kick the garment off her ankles, Alex, for the first time, _well, technically the second if you count Piper's drunken episode_ , sets her eyes on the most intimate part of her girlfriend's body. Glistening with wetness, her well-shaven rosy lips are open, revealing her clit, pulsing out from its hood.

Before she gets a chance to move inwards, the blonde gently stops her movements, directing Alex's face so they're in line with one another.

"It's been a while since I've been with anyone," the blonde says with a growing blush adorning her cheeks.

"Pipes, we don't have to."

"No. I want to do this with you, Alex. Just… take it slowly."

"Of course," the brunette replies, kissing Piper on the lips as she trails her right hand down her girlfriend's body, softly running two fingers through her soaked folds, while watching the blonde's head lull back, letting out a moan. Feeling Piper's wetness soak her fingers, Alex moves to the blonde's neck, nibbling on the exposed skin, admiring the prominent vein running across its surface.

After several minutes of stroking, ensuring their eyes are connected, Alex slowly inserts her index finger into her girlfriend, watching tentatively for any signs of protest. The blonde, overwhelmed by the physical contact, opens her mouth, moaning, almost as though relieved, at Alex's perfectly unhurried tempo.

"God, Pipes. How long has it been?" Alex asks, surprised by the tightness of her girlfriend's vagina.

"Just over a year and a half," the blonde replies dreamily, enjoying the sensation of Alex inside her, arching her back at the feel of her finger reaching a knuckle-deep status.

Alex can't believe how sensitive her girlfriend is. Sure she remembers the blonde mentioning she hadn't been with anyone seriously in about 2 years, but she wasn't expecting this, and as she starts to move her finger out of Piper's centre, sinking it back into her warmth, she can't help but admire her beauty. Her blonde hair's spread out over the pillow, highlighting the shining of her oceanic blue eyes; her moans, becoming increasingly frequent, are the soundtrack to their long-awaited first time; her arms, wrapped around the brunette's back, almost as though trying to find some stability, are a reminder of her fragility, as she exposes herself to a state of vulnerability.

Finding a pleasurable rhythm for both the blonde and the brunette's hand, it isn't long before Piper craves for more, wanting to further connect with Alex.

"More, Al," she pants out, her eyes meeting Alex's, letting her know she's sure what she wants.

Feeling the brunette enter a second finger into her centre, the blonde opens her mouth, a motion mirrored by Alex, as they breathe heavily into one another's mouths.

"You feel so good, Pipes," the brunette states, before pressing her lips with Piper's, dominating the kiss with her tongue while moving her fingers in and out. .

"Use you mouth," the blonde says, panting as she breaks away from the kiss, and while slowly removing her fingers, Alex moves down Piper's body, resting between her legs on her stomach.

"You smell amazing, Pipes," Alex says, eyes fixed on the blue ones above, before taking one long lick along Piper's centre. Moaning at her girlfriend's taste, creating vibrations through her counterpart's centre, the brunette closes her eyes having witnessed the blonde lull her head back, as well as feeling her run a hand through her black mane.

Moving to wrap her lips around the blonde's clit, sucking lightly, an additional spurt of wetness, followed by a series of moans, leaves the blonde, wetting Alex's chin.

"Al, inside," Piper voices, but is cut off by the feeling of two dexterous fingers returning to her opening, maintaining their steady speed.

"Harder," the blonde moans, searching for her high.

"Pipes, I- "

"Please," she says, desperate for the increase in pace, to which Alex complies, upping the tempo of her previously fixed rhythm.

"Fuck, Alex. Right there," the blonde moans, as Alex can feel her own arousal growing due to the increasing levels of wetness dampening her chin.

Feeling her inner muscles start to clench around Alex's fingers, the blonde grabs the bed sheets, trying to prolong the heavenly feeling.

"Don't stop. Don't stop. I'm gonna come," the blonde shouts towards the ceiling, and before she can continue, a brush of Alex's teeth across her pulsing clit and a curl of her fingers hitting her g-spot shatters her resolve, rocking her world in the process.

"Oh God, Alex, I'm cumming, I'm cumming!" Piper shouts at an impressive volume, arching her back, while weaving a hand into the brunette's hair, ensuring she doesn't give up on her movements.

Alex, meanwhile, at the announcement of the blonde's climax, removes her fingers, plunging her tongue into Piper's centre, ready to collect the evidence of her girlfriend's pleasure. Moaning as she eagerly swallows it down, the feeling of the harsh grip Piper has on her hair causes Alex's arousal increase, leaking out of her panties and down her inner thigh.

After collecting everything she can and feeling the blonde's hand loosen its grip on her hair, the brunette delivers one last kiss to Piper's clit, receiving a shudder, before moving up her body.

"How was that?" Alex asks, resting her chin on the blonde's heaving chest, smiling.

"Al that was… I've never felt… " the blonde stammers, unable to find the words to describe what she experienced, feeling as though words won't do her justice. Instead, she gently pulls the brunette down to connect their lips, moaning at the taste of herself on Alex's lips.

"That's only the start," the brunette says through a smug smirk, breaking away from the kiss.

"Well if that's only the start, I'd love to know how it finishes."

"Oh you will be _finishing_ ," the brunette says, outstretching her hand over the blonde's stomach, travelling downwards.

"Oh really, Ms Vause?" the blonde asks.

"Well that's what it looks like from where I am," the brunette replies.

Using the strength of her arms and legs, Piper wraps herself around Alex, flipping them over, so that she's straddling her girlfriend's stomach.

"How about now?" Piper asks, pleased with her manoeuvre.

"Your strength is impressive, Ms Chapman. Almost as though you use a personal trainer or something?" the brunette says sarcastically in question.

"Oh yeah, I do. I'll give you her contact information. You'll like her. Despite her ogling, she knows what she's talking about," Piper replies, trying to stifle a laugh.

"I do not ogle! Well, at least not when you're looking," she replies, also trying not to laugh, until the blonde's lips find hers, putting a stop to their comical exchange.

The kiss deepens, as the brunette puts her hand on the blonde's hips, while Piper begins to move southward, kissing along the brunette's neck, resting at her breasts. Since their first encounter that evening nearly 2 months ago, the blonde has always been drawn in by Alex's ample cleavage, and being able to touch - to taste - this particular part of her body is something she'll engrave in her mind for her own future needs, when she's alone and in need. Her lips and teeth play with the brunette's hard nipples, sucking her skin as she alternates between the two, and when the blonde senses Alex's restlessness, she can't help the feeling of anxiousness that washes over her regarding what she should do next. She doesn't know what she's going; what if Alex doesn't like her technique? What if she doesn't enjoy it? What if she can't make her come?

"Pipes are you okay?" the brunette asks, sensing the blonde's nervousness.

"Yeah, fine. It's just I've… "

"Never gone down on a woman before?"

"Umm… well, yeah," the blonde replies, avoiding eye contact as she feels her cheeks flush.

"I'll coach you through it, Pipes. You don't need to worry; nobody's ever made me this worked up before just from touching my tits," the brunette says sincerely. "In all honesty, I could probably come just from fucking you - that's how much you affect me, Piper," Alex continues, using her hand to stroke the blonde's jawline.

"Thanks, Al," Piper responds, her focus shifting to her girlfriend's abdomen.

One of the many perks of having a girlfriend that's a personal trainer is the condition of her body. Not that the blonde normally cares, but Alex's muscular physique alone makes her weak at the knees; her abs are what all gym buds have wet dreams about. They're beautifully toned, revealing a light six-pack - not too muscular, but worked on enough to highlight the strength of her core, leading down to the prominent v-shape at the bottom of her hips. Placing open-mouthed kisses along the area, Piper sucks on the skin, wanting to mark the area as hers, so when the brunette next leads a spin class in a sports bra, everyone can see she's taken.

Satisfied with her work, the blonde descends to the brunette's inner thighs, hooking her fingers into her panties, pulling them down before throwing them across the room, adding to the pile of clothing on the floor. Resting between the brunette's legs on her stomach, Piper kisses her girlfriend's inner thighs, her scent overwhelming her senses.

"Pipes, when you're ready, use your finger to taste me - you can decide if you want to continue," the brunette pants out, her breathing uneven from the blonde's ministrations.

Facing the brunette's shaved centre, the blonde can see how her actions have spiked her girlfriend's arousal levels. Her lips are covered in wetness, and her clit stands proudly from its hood, aching for attention, and as she uses her finger to collect wetness from Alex's centre, the brunette lets out a guttural moan, clearly having enjoyed the sensation. Bringing her finger to her lips, the blonde tastes her girlfriend for the first time, in a what she can only describe as an intoxicating salty tang, something she wants to try from the source.

Placing her hands at the juncture between the brunette's thighs and hips, Piper leans in, using her tongue to taste Alex directly from her centre, and the brunette, seeing her girlfriend shut her eyes and moan in pleasure at her taste, tilts her head towards the ceiling, saving the image of her beautiful blonde-haired girlfriend between her legs.

"Fuck, Piper," she moans out.

"Hmm, Al, you taste amazing," Piper replies, enjoying running her tongue along Alex's centre.

"Use your tongue to… uh… circle my clit, and then, when you're ready start sucking on it," the brunette instructs, losing control quickly. .

Following instructions, Piper does just that, and after bathing her attention on Alex's clit, she feels a new flood of wetness leaving her centre, which she eagerly gathers and swallows, moaning as it travels down her throat. With a new found sense of confidence, the blonde no longer feels the need for instructions - after all, she's a quick learner. Using two fingers, the blonde enters Alex's pussy, immediately moaning at the wet warmth she's surrounded by.

Alex, surprised by the blonde's move, moans uncontrollably, placing a hand on Piper's hips as the blonde moves upwards, reconnecting their lips in a battle for dominance, while fucking her hard with her fingers.

With her eyes meeting Alex's, the blonde feels a surge of arousal course through her body, and as she curls her fingers, hitting a particularly engorgeous zone inside the brunette, Alex's thigh shoots upwards, bumping into Piper's pulsing centre, causing her to moan out in surprise at her state of arousal. Lowering herself onto the brunette's thigh, still pumping her fingers, Piper begins to grind forwards and backwards. At the feeling of Piper's wetness on her thigh, the brunette moans, feeling her orgasm rapidly approaching.

"Fuck, Pipes, you're so hot. I'm gonna come soon, keep going, baby," Alex pants, sweat rolling down her temple and neck.

"I'm nearly there too, Al," Piper responds, but seeing her girlfriend teetering on the edge of her orgasm, she uses her free hand to pinch the brunette's nipple, while simultaneously curling her fingers upwards, pushing against Alex's g-spot.

"Holy shit, Pipes! I'm cumming, I'm cumming!" the brunette shouts, her body arching upwards, and seeing the level of pleasure Alex is experiencing, along with the feeling of her cum leaking onto her hand, the blonde lets go embarrassingly soon, grinding aggressively on the brunette's thigh.

"Me too, Al. Cumming. Fuck."

The sight of Piper coming above her, even though the brunette herself was the one being fucked, turns her on even more - almost to the extent of coming again, but as the blonde's fingers and hips slow down and come to an eventual halt, Alex focuses on slowing down her breathing, which becomes increasingly difficult with what the blonde does next.

Looking down at the sated, sweat-covered brunette, Piper removes her fingers, bringing them to her mouth, moaning as she licks up Alex's cum, before falling downwards, resting her face in the nook of her girlfriend's neck.

"Are you sure you haven't done that before, Pipes?" Alex asks, as her breathing returns to normal.

"Positive," Piper replies through a smile, lifting her head from the brunette's neck to connect their lips.

"I can't get enough of you, Piper," the brunette says, resting one hand on Piper's ass, while the other pushes back her sweaty, blonde hair.

"Good," the blonde says, rolling onto Alex's side, repeating earlier's topic of conversation, "because that was only just the start."

"Oh yeah?" Alex asks, turning to face the blonde, using her left hand to cup her face.

"Yeah," Piper responds through a yawn.

"Another time though, sleepy," the brunette says rolling onto her back. "We can continue this through the medium of cuddling."

"How romantic," the blonde replies, hooking her right leg over Alex's hip, placing her arm over her stomach.

"Romantic's my middle name, Pipes."

"What is your middle name, Al?"

"Pearl."

"Alex Pearl Vause. I like it."

"What about you?"

"Elizabeth."

"Piper Elizabeth Chapman. Sounds kinky."

Hitting the brunette on the arm, the pair share a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence.

"Did you know that pearls have a gender?" Piper asks.

"No. I did not know that," Alex says, as their eyes meet, looking at the blonde in awe of her knowledge. "I'm glad this all worked out, Pipes."

"Me too, Al."

"Because now I can do this," Alex says, grabbing the blonde's bare ass, pushing Piper up against her body.

"Al." the blonde warns, feeling herself getting turned on again.

"Okay, I'll behave. Goodnight _girlfriend_ ," Alex says, kissing Piper on the head.

"Goodnight to you too, _girlfriend_ ," the blonde concludes, resting her head on Alex's chest.

The pair fall into a peaceful sleep; the plates in the kitchen sink, the clothes strung across the apartment, the sweaty joining of their limbs - all evidence that neither had fucked this up just quite yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**I know it's a bit short, but it's better than nothing.** **Keep any requests coming, both PG and R.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The beam of light shining into the dark room is what wakes up the brunette from her peaceful slumber. Unmoved from their initial position, the pair remain wrapped up in one another, as the blonde's right arm rests along Alex's torso; her right leg across her hip, and her head on Alex's chest, hair tickling her breasts.

Arching her head to the side, the brunette sees that it's 6:30am on her digital clock, and being that herself and Piper both start work at 9am, she decides now is a good time to wake up for what she has planned.

Scanning her eyes down their joined bodies, the brunette can't believe that she's cuddling in bed, and not just cuddling, but cuddling with her girlfriend, who happens to be hooked onto her side, looking as though she won't be letting go anytime soon. At the feel of the blonde's wet pussy on her hip, Alex reaches down, grabbing a hold of Piper's ass, pushing them close while kneading her smooth skin.

"Hmm, Al, what're you doing?" the blonde groans into Alex's chest.

"Giving you some assistance. You seem to be quite… tense."

"I'm not tense Al," the blonde says seriously, "this is probably the most relaxed i've been in years."

"Mmhmm," the brunette replies, her kneading becoming increasingly rougher, slowly guiding her girlfriend's hips along her own. "You seem to be _very_ relaxed there, Pipes."

The blonde, struck by a sudden bout of arousal at Alex's deepened voice, moans as a new flow of wetness leaves her centre, the slickness coating the brunette's hip.

"Faster, Al," Piper pants through heavy breath, reluctantly lifting her head from Alex's chest.

"Didn't I already tell you that patience is a virtue," the brunette replies, satisfied at the blonde's frustration.

Knowing that Alex isn't going to move at the speed she desires, Piper takes matters into her own hands. Hoisting herself up to straddle her girlfriend's stomach, the blonde grinds her hips forward and backwards, setting her own pace.

"Fuck patience," Piper replies, placing her hands on Alex's breasts, moaning at the sensation.

"Don't you mean _duck_ patience?" Alex asks through a smile, not knowing what the response of the woman on top of her will entail.

No verbal response arrives however, as the blonde opts for more physical means by attacking the brunette's lips with her own.

Piper's hips increase in speed; she'd dreamed about Alex's abs since the moment her top rode up during their press-up competition, but being able to say the owner is hers - let alone use them to make herself come, causes her levels of arousal to increase tenfold, as she - rather prematurely - feels her up-and-coming orgasm. Removing the brunette's hands that had taken vantage point on her breasts, kneading the sweaty skin, Piper breaks away from the kiss, guiding them to her hips, leaning back to increase her speed.

"Fuck, Pipes. This is so hot," the brunette moans after seeing the blonde's arousal coat her toned abdominal region along with the sound of her wetness moving against her skin - Piper's movements, wanting.

Yet again, the blonde provides no form of verbal response, grabbing one of Alex's hands, and bringing it towards her centre, guiding it through her slick folds.

"God Al," Piper moans - her head tilting towards the ceiling, as her right hand continues to guide that of the brunette's. "Fuck… I've dreamt about doing this since you were doing… doing press-ups."

Grunting as her eyelids flicker shut, the brunette decides to play the blonde at her own game, opting for physical actions, rather than a verbal response. Lining with a finger at Piper's centre, Alex teases at penetration, causing the blonde to move her grip to her girlfriend's wrist, tightening her fingers as she anticipates the feeling of fullness due to Alex being inside her, while moving her head downwards, forcing eye contact.

The moment is interrupted however by the sound of Piper's vibrating phone on her nightstand.

"Shit," the blonde says, looking at the caller ID on her ringing phone, "It's my mom. I have to get this."

Leaning over, Piper grabs her phone, still keeping her right hand on the brunette's wrist.

"Hello."

 _"Piper, darling, have you forgotten about your family?"_

"No, mom, I've been busy. We've been swamped at PoPi since opening."

" _Oh come on now, Piper, I thought that was a temporary arrangement? What kind of impression does that put on for a future husband: making soap?"_

Rolling her eyes at her mother's insensitive comment, the blonde goes to reply, but is rendered speechless courtesy of the woman below her, "Mom it's not about that it's- "

Looking down, Piper sees the woman below her with a smug smirk adorning her face, almost as though setting a challenge, as Alex inserts the tip of her index finger into the blonde's centre, catching her off guard.

 _"Piper what is it with you recently? You never come to visit, you never call, and now you sound like you have no interest in what it is I'm saying to you."_

"Mom, like I said, I've been.. ahhh… busy," the blonde replies through a moan as the brunette's index finger slides knuckle-deep inside her, picking up a surprisingly steady pace.

 _"Well Piper, you have to make yourself unbusy. Your father's birthday's coming up and we're inviting people around the house."_

"Mom now isn't the… GOD," the blonde shouts; the brunette's speed increases, and Piper's attempt to control her girlfriend's hand with the grip she has on her wrist fails.

 _"Piper what on earth are you doing?"_

"Nothing mom it's… uh… I hit my toe,"

 _"You can't be like this at your father's party next week, Piper."_

Looking at the girl above her, Alex tries to stifle a laugh at the evident conflict going on in the blonde's mind that she can read in her blue eyes. On one hand she wants to throw caution to the wind and ride her finger, while, on the other hand, she wants to ignore what she's feeling and try to focus on her conversation - behave how she was brought up. The brunette decides to step up her game and make up the blonde's mind for her, as when Alex pulls her finger out of Piper's centre, she lines up a second, which joins its companion upon its return to her girlfriend's wet warmth.

Tilting her head back, the blonde's body takes over, and in an attempt to reach the goal she's been searching for since her jagged movements on the brunette's hip, she uses her thigh muscles to lift herself up, only to plunge back down onto the two fingers wrecking havoc on her personal resolve.

 _"I'll set up your old room so you can stay the night and not have to worry about the drive back. I've invited Polly's parents, so you can bring her along too. She can stay in the guest room, I'll get that seen too also."_

"Mom now… isn't the time," the blonde replies through panting breath, tensing to ensure that she doesn't moan down the phone. "I have to… I have to…go."

 _"I don't know what's gotten into you, young lady. Maybe you should start seeing your therapist again?"_

"Okay… bye mom," the blonde shouts, hanging up the phone and throwing it across the bed before her mother has a chance to reply.

"Fuck, Al, that wasn't fair," Piper continues, placing her hands on the brunette's breasts, having let go of her girlfriend's wrist.

"I didn't tell you to ride my fingers while on the phone to your mom, who sounds charming by the way."

"Really Al?" the blonde stutters out through a moan, "You're knuckle-deep in my vagina and you're talking about my mom?"

"You not into that, babe? We can work up to it," the brunette says, raising an eyebrow.

"Gross," Piper replies through a laugh. "Now hurry up and make me come."

"Your wish is my command, princess," the brunette concludes, speeding up the pace of her fingers in line with the blonde's hips.

* * *

"Polly I'm so sorry I'm late. I woke up late because I missed my alarm and then there was traffic," Piper says, rushing into the store over an hour late.

"You really need to get better at lying, Piper."

"I'm not lying."

"Well if it wasn't for a loud, wild-haired woman who works over the road with Alex coming in to tell me you'll be late, and not to mention the massive mark on your neck, I might have believed you." The brunette smiles, amused that she caught her best friend out. "So, how was it?"

"How was what?" Piper replies, internally cursing Alex for giving her a hickey somewhere visible, and at herself for not concealing it.

"Sex with Alex! Well, you did have sex with Alex, didn't you?"

"Well… yeah," Piper replies through a smile, secretly happy that her best friend's making an attempt to accept her being with with Alex. "She asked me to be her girlfriend."

"And…"

"And I said yes," the blonde says, her smile growing.

"I'm really happy for you, Pipes. But don't change the subject," Polly says, walking to the front of the store and switching the sign to 'closed' - the shop had been pretty empty all morning. "What was the sex like?"

"God, Pol. So amazing. It's like I've never even had sex before - been missing out all this time."

"Well it had been over a year."

"Thank you for pointing that out, Pol."

"Was it tight when- "

"Pol!"

"What? I'm just curious," the brunette replies with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Let's just say that I didn't need to fake any of my orgasms."

"Jeez, I'd love to know what that's like," Polly says in a dreamy voice.

"What - sex with Pete dying down?"

"No, it's just sometimes he can be too… frigid. Not willing to try new things."

"He'll have to take some tips from Alex because, I mean, that tongue… _God_ …" Piper wavers off.

"Okay okay. I don't need to know all the details of your lesbian escapades," Polly replies. "When do I officially get to meet this Alex anyway?"

"Well next week is my dad's birthday, and my parents are hosting a party. I was hoping you could meet her there? My mom said to come along - bring Pete, you can stay in the guest room."

"Wow. Meeting the best friend and the parents at the same time. That'll be a tough crowd to please."

"Well she won't be meeting my parents," the blonde pauses as Polly gives her a confused look. "No - she will meet them, it's just, they won't know we're an item per se."

"And how do you intend on explaining to your parents that your girlfriend will be staying in your room with you without revealing that she's actually your girlfriend? Alex is staying with you, isn't she?"

"I haven't thought that far just yet, Pol. We spoke about it briefly before we left, but not our cover story."

"You better get thinking, Piper. Carol will kill you if you fuck up her event."

With that, the brunette walks to re-open the store, leaving Piper deep in thought.

* * *

"So you did have sex?"

"Yes, Nic. We did."

"And-"

"And what, Nic? Can't I have some privacy for once."

"Well if it wasn't for me and your dearest mother, you wouldn't be getting any of Piper's pussy. So I think you owe me some details," the blonde replies with a smile, leaning back on the sofa she currently occupies in Alex's office.

"Ughh how did you even do that? Did you bribe my mom?"

"No - we made a plan together. You were being a bitch at work, and _apparently_ you were being a bitch at home too, so I called Diane, and boom: tag team."

"Thanks for that Nic. I mean you could have left the bit where I ran around different shops in rush hour for one product out of the plan, but I appreciate it."

"No problem, stretch. So? Was it kinky?"

"Nic - it was our first time. I asked her to be my girlfriend - of course it wasn't."

"Oh so you're girlfriends now," the blonde asks through a smile.

"Yeah. We spoke, sorted our shit out."

"Proud of you, Vause. Got your head out your ass and put it in blondie's."

"Oh no we didn't-"

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say," Nicky says, standing up from her seat. "Lorna said you moved your appointments for some of the days next week. Why's that?"

"Oh I'm heading to Connecticut with Piper for her dad's birthday party."

"Meeting the parents already?"

"Something like that."

After receiving a call that she's needed downstairs, Nicky exits the room. Alex, who is now alone, standing up by her window, looks out at a certain building, immersed deeply in thought.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's another lengthy chapter! One of the most enjoyable ones I've written so far.**

* * *

An uneventful week passes by, and by the time it's late Friday afternoon, Piper drives to her girlfriend's house to pick her up and carry out their journey to Connecticut. She drops Alex a text, letting her know she's parked up outside, and within 2 minutes, her counterpart appears, bag in tow, wearing black skinny jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt with black trainers, holding her leather jacket in hand.

"Hey babe," the brunette says, getting into the car and closing the door.

"Hi," the blonde replies, leaning over for a kiss.

"You sure you're okay with driving?"

"Yeah - apparently I don't visit enough, so need to become more familiar with the route," the blonde says sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she mimics her mother.

"And what did she say when you called about me staying?"

"Oh she was fine with it. As long as you're able to keep up small talk about how your mom's a lawyer, you own a successful business, and we met in college but you're over and staying in town with me.

"Pipes- "

"I know it's bullshit, but I want them to get to know you first before we drop the bombshell."

"As long as we do eventually drop the bombshell."

"You're not some dirty little secret to me, Al. We just have to go about this strategically. I know my parents."

"Whatever you say, Pipes," the brunette replies, covering the blonde's hand with her own.

* * *

After a nearly 2 hour drive, the two arrive at their destination, as the blonde drives through the private road, through the large gates, along the long, cobbled driveway, and parks the car just outside a lustrous looking mansion.

"Hey," the brunette says, grabbing her girlfriend's wrist as she finishes parking up, rubbing the skin with her thumb, "everything's going to be okay."

"I know," the blonde replies, letting out a sigh, "It's just I don't know how I'm going to hide that you're my girlfriend. I mean - come on, Al, all you need to do is look at me and I lose track of what I was meant to say or what I was doing."

Smiling at her girlfriend's nervousness, the brunette interlaces their fingers, using her free hand to stroke the blonde's hair behind her ear, "We can only try our best, Pipes. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Oh maybe being disowned by my family? Having my parents' rich, upper-class friends leading a gay witch hunt? You deciding I have too much baggage and leaving?"

"That isn't going to happen, Piper. I'm not going anywhere," the brunette replies sincerely before turning towards a more comical note. "Unless all the rich people try and hunt down the gays. Then that's my cue to leave."

Feeling more optimistic than she was a few minutes before, the blonde gets out the car and heads to the boot, where herself and the brunette grab their bags and head to the front door, feeling burdened by the fact that from here onwards, any display of affection needs to be in a private setting.

As they wait at the door, the brunette feels a sudden bout of nervousness wash over her; not only is she meeting her girlfriend's parents for the first time, but she has to hide the fact that she is indeed her girlfriend, which is a task that - she imagines - is easier said than done. The only positive notes are that her role as a _business owner_ isn't exactly a lie, and she will be staying in the same room as the blonde for their two night stay - something she can at least look forward to.

"Piper, darling, it's good to finally see you!" the blonde's mother, Carol, states as she opens the door, dressed in a white blouse, navy blazer and matching skirt.

"Hi, mom," the blonde replies as she hugs her mother before turning to the woman slightly behind her. "This is Alex. She's the close friend from college I was telling you about."

"Hi Mrs Chapman, it's great to finally meet you," the brunette says, outstretching a hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you too, dear," the older woman replies, giving Alex a limp handshake. "I'll have Piper set up a place for you to sleep in her room if that's okay with you?"

"Thank you, Mrs Chapman, that's fine with me," _we're not on first name basis then, Carol_ , the brunette thinks to herself, expecting this welcome.

"Well then, come in, ladies. Oh and Piper, your older brother's making an appearance tomorrow. Make sure you remember to congratulate him on his engagement," Carol says, obviously thrilled that at least one of her children have lived up to her expectations.

"Of course, mom. We'll just take these up to my room."

"Don't be ridiculous, Piper. I'll get someone to do that for you," the older woman replies, scolding her daughter.

"Mom. We can do it. I've survived on my own; carrying a bag isn't going to kill me," Piper replies, already tired of her mother's waspy personality.

And before her mother can get a word in, the blonde leads Alex up the stairs and turns left as they travel to the end of the long corridor where her old childhood bedroom is located. Closing the door upon their entry, the brunette puts her bag down, letting out a chuckle.

"So that's the famous Carol Chapman."

"Now you know why I turned out the way I did."

"What? An independant, yet adorably inquisitive, woman who happens to defy expectations by making soap and dating a woman?

"More like a victim of overwhelming wealth, expectation and status."

Stunned by her girlfriend's response, the brunette responds, "You're a different kind, kid."

Smiling at the look of awe she's receiving from the brunette, the blonde drops her bag on to the double bed that's situated in the middle of room with the headboard against the wall, and walks towards her counterpart, wrapping her arms around her shoulders while resting her face in the nook of her neck.

"Al I'm sorry about her. She can be… well, uptight."

"Pipes, I'm here for you, not for your mom," Alex replies, wrapping her own hands around the blonde's waist. "That's for another occasion."

"Thanks, Alex. It means a lot that you're here," the blonde says, removing her head from the taller woman's neck, looking into her eyes.

"That's what girlfriends are for, aren't they? Apart from sexual favours of course."

"I'm afraid there won't be any of that while we're staying," the blonde states through a chuckle, "I'm sure my mother would have heart palpitations if she knew what happened over the phone, nevermind if we fucked in her house."

"Hmm we'll see about that," Alex says, leaning forward to connect their lips. The blonde runs her hands through Alex's dark hair, letting out a moan as she savours the moment, not knowing when she'll next be able to get her hands on the brunette.

Breaking apart from one another, the pair put their things away, before heading downstairs for dinner, something the blonde's been dreading.

* * *

"So Alex, what is it that you do?" asks Bill, Piper's father, who, in comparison to her mother, seems to be making an effort to get to know his daughter's companion.

"I own a gym - I manage the affairs and do some personal training on the side."

"I could do with some of that," says Piper's younger brother, Cal - someone Alex immediately took a liking to, along with his wife, Neri, who, despite her levels of extravagance, is well suited to her husband.

"Maybe if you moved out of the woods and got a real job, Calvin, you wouldn't need to," says Carol, projecting her own opinions into conversation.

"Carol- " Bill warns, not wanting any drama over the course of his birthday.

"So, Alex. Are you married?" Carol goes on to ask.

Looking at the blonde across from her whose eyes are wide, Alex swallows and licks her lips before replying.

"No, Mrs Chapman. I am not married. I've dedicated the last few years of my time to growing my business."

"Your parents must be very proud of you, Alex. I was just telling Piper the other day how she should venture out from just making soap."

Shocked by Piper's mother shaming her profession in front of the entire dinner table, the brunette contemplates her reply, before she says something she'll regret. "Well while I'm sure my mother is proud of my business, she's very supportive of me _regardless_ of my choices, both professional _and_ personal."

Looking back at the blonde beauty opposite her, they share a smile - the underlying meaning in Alex's statement not lost on Piper.

By the time dessert is being prepared, and after a plethora of wine is ingested by Carol during their continual digging match, Alex announces she's going to the restroom, and wanting to get away from her mother's comments, Piper goes with her, stating she'll show her where it is. Leading the way, Piper takes the brunette by the hand when they're out of sight, ascending the stairs.

Closing the door, Piper slams her girlfriend against the door, gripping her waist as she attacks her lips in a sloppy kiss, pushing her tongue into the brunette's mouth.

"Pipes," the brunette muffles between the kiss, trying to gain some control in the situation. "Piper."

"Mmhmm," the blonde stammers, "Just go with it, Alex."

"Pipes I think you should go back downstairs," the brunette says, putting her hands on Piper's shoulders, halting her movements. "Your family will get suspicious."

"Let them."

"Piper, you're not thinking straight. You wanted to stick with the story."

"Last time I checked, I'm pretty gay for you, Al, not straight."

"That's not what I meant, Pipes," the brunette says, creating distance between them and moving to the sink where she washes her hands, before drying them on a towel and facing the blonde, grabbing her hands.

"Piper as much as I want to tell them… we can't, not tonight. Things are tense enough already. The last thing we need is an argument before your dad's big day tomorrow."

"It's just so hard, Al," Piper admits, trying not to get emotional about it. "I want them to really like you for who you are, not seeing you as someone who's corrupted me."

"Well, haven't I?" the brunette asks through a toothy smile, while opening the door, ushering the blonde out.

"In more ways than one," Piper replies as they return back to the dining area.

When everyone finishes their food, Cal and Neri excuse themselves as they head to their room, and not long after, Piper and Alex follow in suit, the blonde stating that she's tired from their lengthy drive.

The pair, having gotten ready for bed, are both lying on the bed - on top of the duvet, basking in the comfortable silence surrounding them.

"I think my dad knows," the blonde says into the ceiling.

"What?"

"About us. I think he knows."

"You're just being paranoid."

"Didn't you notice. He was always shutting down my mother when she brought up the fact that a suitable husband might be at the party; he was more focused on asking you about your life than eating his food, and he seemed off. I don't know… quiet."

"Well if he's suspicious, at least he didn't make a scene," the brunette replies, rolling onto her side and putting her hand on her girlfriend's stomach. "You did great tonight, Pipes. Held your own against your mom."

Putting her hand on top of Alex's, the blonde turns over, smiling at her girlfriend. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now I can see where you get that temper from."

"I do not have a temper!" the blonde says, propping up on her elbow.

"There she is," Alex laughs, getting up from the bed.

"Where're you going?"

"To bed."

"Al you know you don't have to sleep on that," the blonde states, pointing at the bare mattress on the floor.

"Oh I know," she replies, moving the covers and getting under them, followed by the blonde.

"Night, Al," Piper says, kissing her girlfriend on the lips, before turning over, her back touching Alex's front.

"Night, Pipes," the brunette replies, putting her arm around the blonde's body, letting out a relieved sigh.

* * *

It's 3pm the following day, and being that her parents are stressing over the cleanliness of their home - Carol more so than Bill, Piper's been tasked with picking up her grandmother, and while the blonde is excited to see her, Alex, on the other hand, is shitting herself. She knows how important Piper's grandmother is to her, and if she wants to make an impression, this is the one that really counts.

Upon their approach to the front door, Piper smiles, seeing that it's already open, and standing in the door's opening is her grandmother, Celeste Chapman.

"Grandmother!" Piper says happily, hugging her grandmother in a tight embrace.

"Oh Piper, it's great to see you," Celeste replies, hugging her granddaughter back. "And you must be Alex," she directs towards the brunette, smiling, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Hi Ms Chapman, I hope they were all good things," Alex says, outstretching her hand.

"Oh dear, call me Celeste," the older woman says, pulling the brunette into a hug. "Come in, come in! Does anyone want anything?"

"I'm dying for the toilet," the blonde laughs, running up the staircase to the bathroom, leaving Alex and her grandmother alone, who walk together into the kitchen.

"So, Alex. How did you and Piper meet?" Celeste asks as she starts to make three cups of coffee, while the brunette sits at the table.

"We went to college together," Alex says, sticking with their story.

"Oh so you didn't meet because you work opposite each other?"

"How did you-"

"Believe me when I said I've heard a lot about you, Alex," Celeste says, laughing, as she places the drinks on the table, sitting opposite the brunette. "I may not see her often, but I know my granddaughter, and when she rang me crying down the phone a few weeks ago talking about ' _Alex_ ', I pieced a few things together." Before concluding, the older woman takes a sip of her drink. "Although I assumed this 'Alex' was a man, I have to say you two look great together."

Alex, on the other hand, can't believe what just happened. Not only did Piper cry down the phone to her grandmother about her, but her grandmother knows that they're more than just friends.

Seeing that Alex is finding it hard to form a sentence, the older woman continues, "I know Piper was raised around more conservative means, but I can tell she really likes you, Alex. She's never brought anyone to meet me that's for sure, so you must mean a lot to her."

"She means a lot to me too," Alex replies, smiling at Piper's grandmother, immediately noticing why her girlfriend goes to her in times of need.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me," Celeste replies, winking at the brunette across from her as the blonde walks in, having returned from the bathroom.

"What are you two talking about?" Piper asks, sitting down next to Alex.

"Alex and I were just discussing how bad your cover story is."

"What cover story?" the blonde asks, suddenly wondering where this conversation's going.

"Oh Piper, honey, I may look old, but I wasn't born yesterday. Did you really think I wouldn't know about you two after what you said over the phone a few weeks ago?"

Thinking back to the events of a few weeks prior, the blonde remembers the conversation they shared over the phone. It was before Nicky found her in the gym toilets and took her upstairs into the staff ones; crying her eyes out, she opened up to her grandmother about ' _Alex who works across the street_ ', ' _Alex who was ignoring her_ ', ' _Alex who she really liked_ ', fuck, Piper thinks, knowing her secret was out the bag.

Sighing loudly, running a hand through her hair, the blonde replies, hoping her grandmother won't disapprove, "Yes, grandmother, Alex is my girlfriend. My girlfriend who I really care about, and no matter what you say, you won't change how I feel about her."

Smiling at her granddaughter Celeste replies, "Oh Piper I couldn't care less if Alex is a woman. As long as you're happy that's all I care about. In fact, in my old days, I even kissed a few women at college." Turning to face Alex, she continues, "If any of them had looked like Alex over here, maybe I wouldn't have married your grandfather."

"Grandmother!" Piper shouts.

Alex, meanwhile, lets out a throaty laugh, "If only we went to college together, Celeste, you seem like a right catch."

"Okay you two," the blonde says, standing up from her chair as the other two women laugh at their exchange, "time to go."

Chuckling at her granddaughter's actions, Celeste announces she'll meet the pair in the car as she goes to make sure the windows are shut upstairs.

"Is somebody jealous?" Alex asks through a chuckle, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist from behind, kissing the side of her neck.

"No, of course not. That's my grandmother, Al. She's like 80."

"Hasn't stopped me before," Alex says seriously before bursting out into laughter as her girlfriend removes herself from her grip, facial expressions revealing that she isn't impressed. "Babe I'm kidding. While I'm sure Celeste was a rocket back in her day, I only have eyes for one blonde-haired, blue-eyed Chapman."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah - Carol's waspiness is a real head-turner."

"Shut up," Piper reprimands, leading Alex outside to her car, trying her best not to join in with her girlfriend's contagious laughter.

* * *

"So. How long have you been fucking my sister?" Cal asks casually.

"What?" the brunette replies wide-eyed, looking around the area in which they're seated to check if anyone can hear.

"Come on, Alex. Piper never brings friends home unless it's Polly, and considering Polly's over there," Cal says, pointing to the door leading into the house where Piper's hugging a brunette who Alex now knows is Polly, "that means you're going out."

"Shit," Alex mutters.

"Hey, don't worry about it, man. I'm here for it. Well not like that because you are with my sister, but I can see it. And you guys kept eye fucking each other at dinner. Well more like you had an eye fucking marathon. Like you hadn't seen each other in weeks and it was the closest you could get to actually fucking."

"Okay, I get the idea, Cal," Alex says through a laugh. "Yes, Piper and I are together, but she doesn't want you parents to know that, assuming they don't already."

"You know what they say, Alex: never assume - it makes an ass out of you and me," Cal says as he walks off, seeing Piper and Polly approaching.

"Polly this is Alex. Alex this is Polly," the blonde introduces, wary of who can hear the exchange as the two women in front of her share a friendly hug.

"It's great to finally meet you, Alex."

"You too, Polly."

"So now I can put a face to the name I give Piper shit about everytime I catch her staring out her office window across the road."

"Pol I do not-"

"Oh so that's why I can always feel a set of eyes on me when I'm at my computer," Alex jokes, looking at the blonde.

Before she can reply, Piper and Polly are called over by the blonde's mother for a some photos, and before they can protest, Alex announces she'll wait over by the bar, as the pair apologise for the abrupt introduction.

"I can see what you meant by _insanely hot_ ," Polly whispers to her best friend.

"Now you know why I stare out the windows."

After being caught up in taking pictures for half an hour, Piper's now stuck in conversation with her older brother, Danny.

"And then we went for a romantic dinner, but I wasn't sure how to do it, so when conversation was quiet I just did it… and she said yes. Piper," Danny prods. "Piper are you even listening to me?"

"Huh? Yeah, I am. You proposed… she said yes."

"What's up with you today?"

"With me? Nothing! What makes you say that?"

"Because whenever I'm talking, your eyes are glued over my shoulder," the man says, turning around to see what his sister's looking at. "Oh I see."

"What?"

"Cal was right, she is hot."

"Dan!" she shouts, "I'm going to fucking kill Cal."

"Hey, Piper don't worry. He didn't say much - only that you brought a hot friend with you, but from seeing that reaction, I'm starting to wonder if she's more than just your friend" he states through a toothy smile.

"Alex. Alex is my girlfriend," the blonde whispers into her brother's ear, her cheeks reddening as she smiles.

"I'm happy for you, Pipes. Does mom and dad know?"

"Ohhh no. They think she's a friend from college."

"Oh Pipes you've always been a shitty liar," Danny says, laughing. "Who's that with your girlfriend over there? She seems eager."

Looking back in Alex's direction, Piper spots Alex at a table sitting with one of her childhood friends, Olivia, who, she agrees, seems rather eager to be the company of her girlfriend.

"That bitch," the blonde whispers as she walks away from her brother and towards her girlfriend, trying to reign in her jealousy.

* * *

"I'll have one beer and two margaritas please, Alex asks the bartender from her stool, impressed by the free pop-up bar the Chapmans have hired.

"Oh, make that three," comes a voice from behind the brunette, and as she turns to see who it is, she sees a red-haired woman sit to her left, smiling in greeting."

"Hi, I'm Olivia. I can't say I've seen you around here before..." she prompts, waiting for the brunette to fill in the gap.

"Alex."

"Well, Alex," she says as she flicks her hair, "how do you know the Chapmans?"

"Oh I went to college with Piper. We've stayed in contact over the years."

"She never mentioned having friends as hot as you," the red-haired woman says flirtatiously.

Oh I went to college with Piper. We've stayed in contact over the years."

"She never mentioned having friends as hot as you," the red-haired woman says flirtatiously.

 _Fuck_ , Alex thinks referring to previous encounters, _why is it always the redheads?_

"Well I am in a relationship, so it's probably not on the top of her to-do list," Alex states, turning slightly to try and see if Piper and Polly are making their return as she sips her beer. However, her eyes shoot back to the woman next to her, shocked by her next admission.

"I know what's on the top of my _to-do_ list," Olivia states, looking at Alex as though she's a piece of meat while reaching across to touch her shoulder.

Unaware that a particularly pissed off - and formidably jealous - Piper had witnessed what her friend had just done - despite the fluttering in her chest at the fact that Alex was obviously looking for her, the redhead is shocked when the blonde arrives, placing both her hands on the brunette's shoulders.

"Thanks for the drink, Al," Piper says, placing a dreamy emphasis on her girlfriend's nickname, as she reaches over her body rather provocatively to collect her drink from the table.

Pleased at seeing her girlfriend's eyes glued to her cleavage that's evident from the extra few buttons she undid on her white blouse as she leans over, Piper decides to join in the conversation.

"Olivia, hi. I see you've met Alex."

"Yeah, Piper. I was just about to suggest that she should come out with us one time, you know, to that bar we used to love."

"Oh yeah that would be fun, wouldn't it, Al."

"Sure," the brunette chips in, smiling at her girlfriend's evident jealousy. "Hey Pipes did you know that Olivia over here drinks margaritas too?" Alex asks, trying to bring out the jealousy in her girlfriend.

"Oh yeah?"

"Hmm… and while I remember, we were just talking about to-do lists. What's at the top of yours considering you're a Chapman - I hear they're busy people."

Pissed off and seething with jealousy at the fact that her girlfriend's being flirted with right in front of her, the blonde decides to throw caution to the wind, tired of women throwing themselves at Alex.

"Well after this party finishes _you_ , of course," the blonde says, leaning down to kiss Alex on the cheek before leaning in to whisper in Alex's ear, "I've changed my mind about fucking in my parents' house. It's turning me on just thinking about it."

Pissed off and seething with jealousy at the fact that her girlfriend's being flirted with right in front of her, the blonde decides to throw caution to the wind, tired of women throwing themselves at Alex.

"Well after this party finishes you, of course," the blonde says, leaning down to kiss Alex on the cheek before leaning in to whisper in Alex's ear, "I've changed my mind about fucking in my parents' house. It's turning me on just thinking about it."

Closing her eyes as the blonde bites her earlobe before walking off, the brunette opens them to find Olivia dazed by what just happened.

"I guess that's my cue to leave," Alex says, standing up. "Oh, and by the way, I don't think I'll take you up on the offer of going out with you and Piper one evening. I don't like to share."

Not allowing the redhead to reply, Alex walks away to find Piper, who is sitting at a table, waiting for her father's speech to begin.

"Hey babe," Alex whispers into Piper's ear, placing a hand on her thigh, as she sits next to her at the empty round table.

"Hey," Piper says back, looking down at Alex's hand, putting her own on top, smiling.

"So I noticed you got quite jealous back there."

"No I was just conversing."

"Oh that's what we're calling it now?"

"We are indeed," the blonde replies, knowing her girlfriend caught her out. "You look amazing, Al," the blonde says, referring to Alex's white jumpsuit that contrasts with her flowing black hair and matching stiletto heels.

"Well if I look amazing, then you look beautiful," Alex sincerely adds, looking Piper up and down, who's wearing a long-sleeved white blouse, a black skirt and matching heels, something that shows off her long, toned legs.

Their moment is interrupted by Bill Chapman, who is standing at the front with a microphone, for fuck sake, Piper thinks, and having told everyone to take a seat, he begins his birthday speech. It begins and continues as it always does: joking about his age, telling some inside jokes that his golf friends laugh at, but it isn't until the end that the blonde notices her father straying away from his traditional script, something that makes her sit up in her chair, linking hands with Alex under the table cloth.

"And lastly I'd like to thank everyone for assisting me at my old age, especially my wife, Carol, and children, who even though aren't living with us, mean the world to me. Danny and his wife, Melissa, flew over from their current home in Canada; Cal and his wife, Neri, came from their state-of-the-art sustainable home just out state; and Piper and her girlfriend, Alex, came from their successful businesses in Brooklyn to celebrate my birthday."

Piper doesn't hear much more of the speech because at the mention of Alex being her girlfriend coming out of her father's mouth, her world pauses on its axis. When she turns her head to the left, locking eyes with an equally shocked Alex, she can't help but smile. Alex's grip on her hand tightens, almost as though letting the blonde know everything's going to be okay, and for the first time in a while, the blonde believes it.

"I told you he knew," Piper says to Alex as the party erupts into a series of applause, indicating her father's speech is finished.

"Let's just hope this doesn't turn into a gay witch hunt."

"You can be the John to my Abigail," Piper states.

"Arthur Miller? Nice. Although while I found The Crucible enthralling, doesn't he die in the end?"

"Well… not by rich people for being gay."

"Hmm… I'll take that," Alex jokes, and the blonde, still with their hands connected, stands up, directing the brunette to where her parents are standing, not before catching the surprised eye of Polly, who's currently in conversation with her grandmother.

"Oh there you are you two. Are you having a good time?" Carol asks politely.

"Mom how did you guys-"

"Look, Piper," Bill begins, "while we don't see you as often, that doesn't mean we don't know you. You couldn't take your eyes off each other at dinner last night, and considering you went to college together, wouldn't Alex have been introduced to us at your graduation party?"

"And you left the bedding for the mattress downstairs before you went to bed last night, Piper," Carol adds in, causing Piper to internally curse herself for having not noticed, even when she and Alex spoke about the bare mattress the night before.

"We're not exactly living in the 80s anymore, Piper. And you're an adult - I'm sure you can make sensible decisions for yourself," Bill adds.

"What we're saying is that although it's not what we were expecting, we want you to be happy, Piper. You're our only daughter, and by the looks of it, Alex does just that," Carol concludes in a quiet voice.

"Yeah she does," Piper replies through teary eyes, not believing that her parents are being so accepting.

"Now you two enjoy your evening," Bill states, linking arms with Carol.

"You too, Mr Chapman."

"Please, Alex, call me Bill," Piper's father concludes before walking away with his wife.

"What the fuck just happened?" Alex asks, surprised to say the least.

"I don't know, but let's make the most of it."

"And how do you intend on doing that, Ms Chapman?"

"Oh, I'll find a way, Ms Vause," Piper concludes, putting both hands on either side of Alex's jaw, pulling their lips together, letting out a sigh of relief, as they both smile into the kiss.

* * *

After Piper and Alex's relationship being the hot topic of conversation for the rest of the evening, the pair are pleased that most of the guests have finally left, allowing them some alone time.

"This went surprisingly well," the brunette says to the blonde who's currently sitting on her lap in an outside armchair.

"Hmm, and better yet, did you see the look on Olivia's face for the rest of the evening?"

"She was probably editing her to-do list."

"Speaking of _to-do_ lists," the blonde adds running her hand across her girlfriend's breast, resting it on her shoulder.

"Really?"

"Oh you thought I was kidding earlier?" Piper says, getting off Alex's lap, grabbing her hands. "I'm a woman of my word."

Quickly saying goodnight to her parents, Piper all but drags Alex to her room, making sure to lock the door behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

**We're right back where we left off!**

 **Thanks for pointing out about the repeated dialogue - I guess writing when I'm half asleep is never a great idea, and to answer a question from a guest reviewer regarding the low-grade banter: yes. I can imagine two real people saying what I've written. That kind of irony frequents in conversation where I'm from and is a common literary technique, which I'd know considering I have a qualification in the English Language. I wouldn't call it 'banter' per se, but each to your own!**

 **This gets slightly more explicit at the end - enjoy! (I'm sorry it's so short.)**

* * *

Standing at the end of the bed, having pushed the brunette onto its surface, Piper admires the sight of her girlfriend. Her black hair poses a stark contrast to the white pillow behind her head; her jumpsuit hangs at her waist, having been unzipped by the blonde as soon as the door was locked, and her simple, black bra contains her ample breasts, which move slightly up and down along with her increased breathing rate.

Feeling both aroused and incredibly lucky that the woman on the bed belongs to her, Piper unzips and steps out of her skirt, before slowly undoing her shirt buttons one by one, leaving her standing in a black thong and white laced bra.

"You're gonna need to be quiet, Al."

"I don't think it's me that has that problem," Alex responds, lifting herself up to remove her own clothing.

Now just left in their underwear, Piper kneels onto the bed before lying down on top of her girlfriend, both letting out quiet moans as their bodies come into contact with one another. The blonde leans her head downwards, and her lips join with Alex's as they share a passionate kiss, letting the pent-up emotion of their draining day out on one another. The brunette changes the direction of the kiss as she starts to up the ante, lining her tongue across her girlfriend's lower lip, while wrapping her arms around Piper's body, unhooking her bra. Breaking the kiss, Piper pulls at Alex's bra straps, indicating she too wants to remove the garment, and as her wish is granted, the two bras join the pile of clothing on the floor of Piper's childhood bedroom.

Their lips rejoin in a heated frenzy, and at the thought of doing this in her old bedroom, the blonde's hips jut forwards into Alex's centre, causing a moan to rip from her lips.

"See - I'm not the one that needs to be quiet," Alex says smugly.

"Shut up," the blonde replies, eyes rolling back as she basks in the pleasure of her grinding.

Placing her hands on the blonde's hips, the brunette controls the motion of her hips, encouraging Piper to move faster in line with her increase in desire. However, Piper slows her movements to an eventual halt, having come up with an idea for them to continue while being as quiet as possible.

"Get up," the blonde states, moving to get off the bed.

"What," the brunette replies, using her elbows to lift herself from the bed.

"Just get up, Alex."

Doing what she's told, the brunette gets off the bed, standing in just her underwear, wondering what her girlfriend has planned.

"Take those off and get under the covers," Piper demands, pointing at Alex's underwear, as she wrestles to remove her own before peeling back the duvet and getting under.

"Yes ma'am," Alex says through a laugh, as she joins the blonde under the covers.

Without voicing her intentions, Piper climbs on top of the brunette while dragging the duvet over their heads, still being able to see one another due to the bedside lamp shining brightly through the material. "This should block out most of the noise."

Alex reaches up and pulls Piper down to connect their lips, and being that they're now both fully naked under the confines of the duvet, their arousal is heightened. The blonde slips a leg on the other side of Alex's so that their centres are aligned, and when Alex moves her arms to the blonde's waist, pulling their bodies closer, moans are emanated at the intimate contact they share.

"Fuck, Pipes you feel so good."

Unable to find words, the blonde lets out a soft moan as her hips increase in speed, allowing their wet clits to move against each other. Feeling an overwhelming need to touch the brunette, Piper reaches for the brunette's wrists and pulls her arms against the bed, linking their hands together.

"God, Al," Piper says through a particularly loud moan.

"Shhh! Piper you have to keep it down," Alex says, as the blonde lowers her head to rest in the nook of her girlfriend's neck, teeth latching onto the reddening sweaty skin to try and conceal her moans.

With their hands still connected, Piper extends her arms, moving them beneath the pillow Alex is resting on, attempting to find an anchor for the rapid movement of her hips. Her hot breath paints the brunette's neck, sending an abundance of wetness to the brunette's centre; at the feeling of Alex's growing arousal, the blonde groans and lifts her head, seeking contact with her girlfriend's green eyes.

"This is so hot, Al. Fuck…."

Alex lets out a guttural grunt, feeling herself grow closer to the edge, and decides that now is her chance to try and gain some dominance considering in the position that they're in.

"That's it, Pipes, ride me," the brunette whispers along with other forms of encouragement, hoping her dirty talk will give her the upper hand.

Unbelievably turned on by the dirty talk coming out of her girlfriend's low, husky voice, Piper lets out a loud moan, feeling her power-trip begin to diminishing out as she falls into the submission of the woman below her, starting with her grip on Alex's hands loosening. This allows the brunette to remove their hands from under the pillow and flip them over, somehow managing to not get tangled in the duvet cover that remains over their heads.

"You need to shut up, Piper, or your parents are going to find out their innocent little girl isn't as innocent as she seems," Alex says, covering the blonde's lips with her own, lining up their hips to continue their movements.

"You're all mine, Piper. Mine to touch. Mine to taste. Mine to ride."

The blonde feels herself dwindling over the edge at what her girlfriend is doing to her.

"Al I'm close."

"Me too, Pipes. Your pussy's going to make me come."

As Alex increases the speed of her hips, the blonde's moans increase, and in an attempt to prevent anyone from hearing them if they haven't already, Alex uses the hand that isn't providing some stability to lightly cover Piper's mouth, feeling the blonde's vibrations of her moans against her palm.

The blonde, not wanting to have her mouth covered as she announces her upcoming orgasm, pulls at her girlfriend's wrist, directing it lower to where it lands on her sweaty neck. Suddenly reminded by a fantasy that seems to be recurring in her mind whenever she gets herself off, Piper's curious as to what it would feel like if the brunette were to squeeze her neck. Too embarrassed to ask for it, the blonde keeps her hand on top of Alex's hoping to provide a subtle hint as to what it is she wants, placing pressure on her fingers, which are spread out at the sides of her neck.

The brunette, who is now also reaching her peak, feels the additional pressure from the blonde on her hand, almost as though goading her to do something, and as she looks into Piper's eyes, visible from the bedside lamp shining through the duvet, Alex has her answer. Black with lust, her orbs indicate a need - a desire - that she seeks in order to fall over the edge, and having looked down at their hands and back up to her girlfriend's eyes, Alex receives confirmation as to what she had guessed.

"Please," the blonde wines with a nod of her head, causing the brunette's insides to contact.

Taking a gulp, being that this is something she's never done to someone, the brunette lightly clenches her fingers, lightly squeezing Piper's neck.

Overcome with desire, Piper tilts her head backwards, silent moans falling from her open mouth, as she revels in the new, yet unbelievably amazing, sensation, keeping her grip on Alex's hand, preventing her from moving away.

"I want you to come all over me, Piper. Show me what's mine."

With one last hard thrust against their soaked, pulsing clits, the blonde's back arches as she lets go, reaching her much desired peak, and seeing the pleasure her girlfriend is experiencing, along with the feel of their centres against one another, the brunette too reaches her climax.

"Shit, Pipes, cumming," Alex pants, trying to keep her voice down.

Several minutes later, after coming down from her high, the blonde relents her grip from Alex's hand, followed by the brunette falling forwards, her head resting in the nook of Piper's neck, with the sound of their breathing providing additional heat under the damp covers.

"That was different," the brunette says, rolling off the blonde and onto her side. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Alex I wouldn't have wanted you to keep going if you were hurting me. It was everything I'd imagined it to be. If not better," Piper says honestly.

"So you've been thinking about it?"

"Well-" the blonde stutters, cheeks flushing at having to voice her thoughts, "It's not something I've done with anyone... wanted to do with anyone before you."

"That was a first for me too if that makes you feel better," Alex says, sensing her girlfriend's embarrassment. Stroking the sweaty blonde hair away from Piper's forehead, she continues, "You don't have to feel embarrassed around me, Pipes. I found it hot too."

"You did?"

"Well, after seeing the effect it had on you I'll admit it… intrigued me. You can always talk to me if there's something new you want to try, Pipes."

"Thanks, Al," Piper concludes, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend.

Breaking away from the kiss, Alex pushes the duvet off their heads, both letting out sighs of relief at the feel of cool air on their wet skin.

"You don't think anyone heard us, do you?" Piper asks out of sudden worry, being that she wasn't as quiet as she should have been at times.

"I guess we'll soon find out," Alex says looking over at the digital clock beside them, which indicates that it's nearly 4am - although the party did go on into the late morning.

"Can't wait," Piper says sarcastically, kissing Alex one last time before turning around into a spooning position.

"Night, Alex. Thanks for today."

"Anytime, Pipes. Goodnight."

Despite being able to hear the evened out breathing of her girlfriend, Piper lays awake, thinking about the events of the past 24 hours. Although her parents seemed supportive, she really hopes it wasn't just a front; seeing Alex handle herself around her crazy family did nothing but solidify how the blonde feels for the older woman, and the more time they spend together, the more it undoubtedly scares the shit out of her.


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter's more or less filler as I'm starting to plan for the next arc of the story.**

 **Let me know if you have any ideas - writer's block is starting to hit me at times, which is rather ironic considering I'm writing two stories at once (yes, I did look up the meaning of irony, thank you - no offence taken, Guest), so check that one out too if you haven't already.**

 **Thank** **you and e** **njoy!**

* * *

The sound of footsteps heading down the creaking floorboard of the hallway wakes the blonde from her peaceful slumber. Turning her head to the side, she sees the raven-haired woman next to her still fast asleep, chest moving as she breathes, but in her now wide awake state, Piper quietly slides out of the bed, putting on her white robe, and heads downstairs.

Knowing she won't be alone when she reaches the bottom floor, the blonde prepares herself at the prospect of facing her parents, but as she enters the kitchen, her prayers were fortunately answered; standing in the kitchen is her best friend, Polly, stirring a mug of coffee.

"You're awake then?" the brunette asks after hearing Piper's entry.

"No, I'm sleepwalking," the blonde replies sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Coffee?"

"Please."

Polly grabs another mug from the cupboard, pours in the liquid, and walks over to the table where Piper's now sat. Placing the drink in front of her best friend, Polly walks to the other side and sits down, meaning the two are now opposite one another.

"So you two left in a hurry last night," Polly asks, probing for information.

"We were tired. Yesterday was a long day."

"Hmm, well, from what I heard, it didn't sound like you did much sleeping."

"What… what do you mean?"

"There was a knocking sound on the guest room wall I stayed in last night," the brunette says, taking a sip from her drink, "I don't know... sounded like a headboard?"

Thinking back to last night's activities, Piper tries to identify whether the headboard was indeed making a loud knocking noise. Sure you could lightly hear the bedsprings moving, but you'd have to had been in the room really hear it. They were so caught up in one another that she can't truly be sure. Maybe they weren't as quiet as they thought?

"Shit, Polly, I'm sorry. We tried to be quiet, but you know how it is…"

With her lips rising at her best friend's confession, the brunette lets out a small laugh, putting her mug down onto the table.

"Pipes, I was kidding! God you two really fucked at your parents' house? In your old room?"

Bashful that she's been tricked into believing her best friend, Piper tries to explain without digging herself into a hole.

"I couldn't help it, Pol. Everything between us is still fairly new; every time i'm in a room with her it's just hard to resist."

"Well you better get used to it, Piper, because you can't fuck in your parents' kitchen - that would be a step too far."

"Why would we do it in my parents' kitchen, Polly, it's not like she's even in here?" Piper asks, her voice raised in question.

"Although I'm technically still in the hallway, I can still hear you both loud and clear," comes a husky voice from behind Piper's chair, and when the blonde turns around, she's blessed with the view of her beautiful girlfriend stepping into the kitchen. "And while I do love to venture out the bedroom from time to time, it's probably better if that happens somewhere that isn't in the kitchen of someone's home that doesn't belong to either one of us," the deep voice continues, its owner walking over to the blonde, lightly kissing her on the cheek.

"You want some coffee, Alex? I just made some," Polly asks, smiling at the couple in front of her.

"Sure," the taller woman replies, changing her mind as Polly goes to stand up. "It's okay - I can get it."

Turning back to her best friend, Polly gives Piper an impressed look, mouthing a quick 'wow' in her direction.

"So where is everyone?" Alex asks, taking a seat next to Piper, mug in hand.

"Carol went to pick up the dry cleaning after arguing with the woman over the phone about how home deliveries should be available on Sundays, and I think Bill's still in bed."

"He's probably reeling from the drink he had yesterday," Piper adds.

"He didn't have that much, Pipes," Polly states, "he wasn't slurring or anything."

"I don't know he was just so… _nice_. So was my mom. It was weird. They've always shoved the idea of marriage at me, and now they suddenly approve of our relationship," Piper says, putting her left hand over Alex's right that rests next to hers on the surface of the table.

"Maybe they think Alex is actually a man because they've missed their scheduled trip to the opticians." Seeing the look of disdain on Piper's face, Polly quickly changes her statement. "Jesus, Piper, I'm not being serious. Stop questioning everything that happens in life and just live it. And before this turns into a philosophical lecture, I have to finish my packing," Polly concludes as she gets up and leaves the room.

"We should probably get going too, Al, there could be traffic," Piper says, walking over to the sink to wash out her mug.

"Mmhmm," Alex mumbles into the blonde's neck, wrapping her arms around her waist, before she turns around, placing her hands on the taller woman's shoulders.

"Brace yourself," Piper says, looking over Alex's shoulder.

"What're you talking about?"

Before she gets the chance to turn around, the brunette instantly knows what her girlfriend was referring to, as, indicated by the sound of a throaty cough arriving from the hallway, they're no longer alone in the room.

"Piper, Alex, good morning! Did you sleep well?" Bill asks, smiling at the pair.

"Great thanks, Dad. We were just about to go and finish our packing so we can beat the traffic home," Piper adds, letting her father know they aren't planning on staying much longer.

"Why don't you go and start that, Piper, while I quickly chat to Alex over here," Bill adds through a smile, waving his hand between Alex and himself, causing the brunette to feel a sudden wave of nervousness, and the blonde to try and hold in a laugh, not having seen the expression on her girlfriend's face before.

"Okay, Dad, but we're aiming to leave at 10," Piper says as she walks off, leaving her girlfriend and father alone in the kitchen.

"So how did you two really meet?" Bill asks as he pours himself a mug of coffee, turning around when Alex begins to speak.

"We met one evening after work; I co-own a gym across the street from PoPi with my best friend, and we just started talking… PoPi hadn't opened yet."

"And how long have you been… seeing each other?"

"We've been official for little over a week now, but it's now been over 2 months since we first met."

"So you took your time then," Bill says, chuckling as he walks over to open the backdoor. "When I met Carol, we were official after a week."

"What can I say? Piper was being… well Piper was being Piper," Alex says, causing Bill to laugh harder.

"Oh I know what you mean," he adds through his throaty laugh, moving outside, jutting his head as though asking the brunette to follow. "You want one?" Bill asks, holding out a packet of cigarettes.

"I'm good thanks, Mr Chapman. That's a habit I quit a few years ago."

"That's probably something I should look into," he says as he lights his cigarette, breathing out a cloud of smoke. "I was being serious when I said to call me Bill, Alex."

"Yeah… sorry, Bill," Alex stumbles out, wondering where this conversation is taking them.

"I'm not going to stand here and give you the old 'if you hurt my daughter, I'll kill you' speech, Alex, but what I will tell you is that I know my daughter, and I've never seen her looking so… carefree?" the older man says with a raised intonation, almost as though seeking confirmation as to what he's saying. "I can see you've managed to put up with her so far - just keep doing what you're doing. If she's anything like her mother, you're in for a real ride," he finishes, causing the pair share to laugh at the imagery he created.

"I appreciate it, Bill, but I can assure you, I love trips to the theme park as much as anyone else," the brunette replies, receiving a smile from Piper's father as he understands the meaning of what she had just said.

"Anyway, I'll let you go and pack, otherwise neither of us will hear the end of it," the grey-haired man digresses, putting out his cigarette and walking back into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Bill," the brunette smiles, relieved that Piper's father doesn't seem to hate her.

Opening the door to Piper's childhood bedroom, Alex sets her eyes on her girlfriend, who, now dressed in a pair of black ripped shorts and a white and black striped top, is folding clothes into the two bags lying on the bed.

"Need a hand?" the brunette asks, closing the door behind her.

"You can check the bedside cabinets are empty; I'm nearly done here," the blonde replies before looking up from the bag she was packing. "How did things go with my dad?"

"Surprisingly well. He asked how we met, joked briefly about a few things."

"Joked about what?" Piper probes noisily.

"Ah, that's between your father and I," the brunette says, getting dressed into the clothes she'd picked out to wear home while pointing at her girlfriend. "No gay witch hunt - very reassuring."

"Stop saying that, Al," Piper laughs, "of course he wouldn't do something like that… he doesn't believe in witches."

The pair share a laugh as they pack up the remainder of their belongings, reflecting over this weekend's unexpected version of events.

* * *

3 months pass since Bill's birthday, and the couple develop a routine that healthily balances work and play. They aim to stay over at one of their houses at least twice a week - although that doesn't always work out, and when they can, they alternate between walking one another home from their place of business.

While the couple had planned that Piper is staying at Alex's house for the evening, the brunette stayed at work for an extra hour, as she led her monthly spin class - one of which she forces her friends to join.

"Why the fuck do you choose to do this?" Nicky asks her best friend, heavily panting.

"It's what I'm paid to do, Nichols. Relax - it's not that bad," Alex says, using a towel to wipe sweat from her face.

"I still think my technique is the best," Suzanne contributes, putting her hands on her hips as if to prove a point.

"Suzanne, I don't know how many times I need to tell you this, but sitting sideways on the bike isn't a good method. You can't reach both medals," Alex says, tired of having this debate every time she runs a class.

"But then you don't get tired," Suzanne adds, almost as though stating the obvious.

"I think that defeats the point," Taystee butts in, putting her arm around Suzanne. "So are we taking this picture or what?"

"Yeah, go grab Lorna," the wild-haired woman answers, knowing her girlfriend will want to orchestrate the picture taking process.

Since Alex started to force her friends to attend her monthly spin classes, Lorna insists on taking a picture of the group, claiming it's good publicity for the website she's trying to formulate. Although, being that she has no computing experience, let's just say the pictures have become more of a tradition between friends rather than a form of advertisement.

Alex is eager to get home, knowing that Piper will be staying the night, and is becoming increasingly frustrated by the antics of her friends, who have taken the liberty of teasing her about an array of marks that cover her skin. Feeling comfortable in the company of her friends, especially as the session was closed to other members of the gym, Alex tends to wear only a sports bra on her torso when leading a class, and being that herself and Piper had a rather… _rough_ evening two nights before, the evidence left on her body was the hot topic of the evening's conversation.

Along the top of neck and back were several visible, red scratch marks, obviously formed from someone's fingernails, and along her abdominal region was a large hickey, one of which she had forgotten to conceal, being that her daytime top covered it over.

"You'll be looking like you've been through 12 rounds with Tyson this month's picture, Vause," shouts Nicky as she takes a sip of water, using her hand to point to the back of her own neck. "Thought about putting some aloe vera on that?"

"Nic, can you just drop it, please?"

"What? I'm just looking out for my best friend. Scratches and bruises all over your body - who knows what you'll look like next time you come in to work." Seeing that Alex doesn't approve with her teasing, Nicky tries to soften the mood. "Just get your girl to trim her nails."

"Really Nicky?" Alex laughs, not being able to stay annoyed at her friend. "Yeah, I'll tell her to pull her teeth out while she's at it too - I'll love that," she adds, pointing to the mark on her abdomen.

"Christ, Vause, that's a bit sadistic."

Before the conversation can go any further, the others come back with Lorna in tow, who then goes out of her way to put everyone in a specific order, stating it will help their brand. Of course, no one likes where they're standing, and an argument ensues. In the thick of all the shouting, the door to the studio opens, revealing a smiling Piper, obviously amused by the scene in front of her.

Looking over at her girlfriend, the blonde can feel her mouth water. Sure, she's seen Alex in a sports bra a few times - she's seen her naked a hell of a lot of times, but seeing her all sweaty with her toned body on display certainly turns her head. However, as the women finally decide on their positioning in the picture and link arms, what really catches her attention is the visible mark on Alex's abdomen - one of which she can remember making two nights ago. The pair find one another's eyes, blue eyes meeting green, and at seeing the eyebrow raise of the brunette, Piper feels face growing red with embarrassment.

"Blondie I think you need to make sure Alex here gets home okay without any scratches or bruises," Nicky directs to the blonde after the group picture is taken.

"Nicky she lives nearby, she's hardly going hiking," Piper replies, not entirely sure what the wild-haired woman is talking about.

"Oh and you might want to stop off and buy some aloe vera," she adds, before grabbing Lorna's hand and leaving to head home. "See you later, bitches."

"Al what is she talking about?"

Alex, who doesn't want to embarrass her girlfriend in front of the rest of her friends, gives Taystee a nod, indicating now is their time to leave.

"Well we better get going. Thanks for this, Vause," Taystee says, grabbing Suzanne by the arm.

"No problem, guys."

"Alex."

"Hmm."

"Why do we need to buy aloe vera?"

"See for yourself," Alex says, turning around to show her girlfriend the damage.

"Jesus, Alex, are those-"

"Scratch marks? Yeah, they are."

"Oh my God I'm so sorry," Piper says, immediately feeling guilty. "Is that from the other day?"

"Mmhmm," Alex hums, and at seeing the guilt and evident embarrassment on her girlfriend's face, she moves closer, wrapping her into a hug. "They don't hurt or anything. Don't worry about it."

"Why didn't you cover them up?"

"Yeah because how the fuck am I going to do that, Piper? They're on the back of my neck!"

"Well you could have at least tried to cover the mark on your abs!"

"I had a shirt on earlier - I forgot it was even there. Plus I like it," Alex says, touching the mark with her index finger.

"Well have to mark my territory from any overenthusiastic fitness freaks," Piper replies, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. "Seriously, Alex I'm sorry."

"Piper, they don't bother me. I just don't want my friends giving you shit about it - you know how they like to pry."

"Well I feel like this is something they aren't going to forget."

"Well at least they know we have a healthy sex life."

"As long as they don't know what happens _in_ our sex life."

"What that you like it best when my hand's around your neck?"

"Al, you said you wouldn't talk about that… and that's for special occasions only," Piper says, pushing herself away from her girlfriend. "Let's go. You need a shower."

"So you're still persistent that shower sex is a thing?"

"No. I just like it best when the hands around my neck are clean," Piper sarcastically retorts, walking towards the door, followed by a chuckling, slightly turned on, Alex.


	14. Chapter 14

**This gets quite explicit at the end.**

 **Let's just say you might need a breather after this one...**

 **Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

* * *

"Do you think my parents will notice if I don't show up?" Piper asks, her head resting on Alex's chest.

The pair are lying down in the comfort of the blonde's double bed, cherishing the last moments they have together before Piper goes to her parents' for Thanksgiving - an occasion she's never really looked forward to. After protesting that she wanted to stay at home to celebrate this year, the blonde's father informed her that all of the family had to be present this year, insisting it's important.

"Well, it's not like Bill threatened you down the phone if you didn't go," the brunette replies, running her fingers through the blonde hair splayed out on her chest.

"Helpful," the blonde retorts, turning her head to face her girlfriend. "At least you get to stay at home."

"Hey, don't bring me into this! I don't particularly like the idea of you not being here either, and trying to entertain my mom, Nicky and Lorna isn't exactly a task I'm looking forward to."

"Why?" Piper laughs, the images of the said group together amusing her.

"Mom always insists on cooking when it was me who invited her; Nicky tries to embarrass me in front of my mom, often because she drinks too much, and Lorna eventually gets pissed off at Nic because of her loud mouth."

"Sounds exciting then."

"Mmhmm."

"I'm gonna miss you though, Al."

"Piper, you're only going for a few days," Alex chuckles, yet quickly changes her tune as she sees a look of anger from her girlfriend, "though I will miss you too."

"Correct answer," Piper replies, shuffling so that she's now lying on top of her girlfriend, head resting in the crook of her neck.

"Pipes-" Alex grunts out at the feel Piper's tongue on her neck.

"Mmm"

"What're you doing? You have to pack."

"You," the blonde mumbles, using her teeth to graze the brunette's pulse point, "I'll pack later."

Feeling the blonde bite into her neck, the brunette tilts her head back, letting out a throaty moan, "Fuck, Piper."

* * *

Pacing around her living room checking everything's clean, the brunette's interrupted by the sound of a knock at her front door. Moving to open the door, the brunette is greeted by her mother, who is staying with her for the duration of the Thanksgiving weekend.

"Why didn't you use your key?" Alex asks, hugging her mom while smiling.

"I wasn't too sure you'd appreciate that after the last time I was here," Diane replies through a chuckle, referring to the time she left suddenly in order to set up her daughter with Piper.

"Oh, yeah, that," Alex says, gesturing for her mother to come in, closing the front door behind them. "While I was pissed off that you and Nicky were scheming behind my back, it all worked out in my favour."

"So when am I going to meet this girlfriend of yours? Is she coming this weekend?"

Turning to face her mother, having led them into the kitchen, the younger brunette debates her answer, not wanting to annoy her mother who has been insistent on meeting her significant other.

"No, mom, she's in Connecticut with her family," Alex says, busying herself by pouring two cups of coffee, "she tried to get out of it, but let's just say her family are… well, persistent."

"Persistent my ass!" Diane shouts, "You at least owe me this for setting you two up!"

"Mom, next time you're over. I promise," the brunette concludes through a sigh, putting a mug of coffee in front of her mother before going to put her bags in the spare room.

Not wanting to push Alex any further, Diane relents from further bringing up her daughter's girlfriend, although she is curious as to how the weekend will pan out with Nicky's inevitable teasing upon arrival.

* * *

Turning off her Mini Cooper's engine, Piper undoes her seatbelt and takes a moment to breathe. Even at the age of 26, she feels uncomfortable going back to her childhood home; the memories of loneliness, undeniable pressure, and privilege, were the bane of her experiences growing up - all things she associates with this house.

Dropping Alex a quick text letting her know she had arrived, the blonde gets out and grabs her bags from the boot, before walking to the front door, pulling at the golden knocker.

"Piper, darling, you've finally decided to show your face!" her mother greets, hugging the blonde.

"Hello to you too, mom. Is everyone here yet?" Piper asks, pulling away from the hug and stepping into the house.

"You're the last one here. Oh, and Piper," her mother says, causing the blonde, who was taking off her shoes, to turn around. "We have some of the neighbours coming over this evening. Wear something appropriate."

Climbing the stairs and entering her room, the blonde shuts the door, puts her bag on the floor, and lies down on the bed. Letting out a sigh of relief, she runs the palm of her right hand across the surface of the bed, and memories of her last stay come flooding back to her. Having sex with Alex in her old childhood bedroom, let alone staying in there with her, was a milestone, not only in her life, but in their relationship. Feeling turned on all of a sudden at the imagery of their previous stay, the blonde grabs her phone from the pocket of her jeans and goes to the camera app. Flipping the screen, she takes a picture of herself laying on the bed, with her blonde hair loosely splayed against the pillow, and her perfect top row of teeth biting her lower lip, before sending it to Alex along with a follow-up message.

 **Piper: Remember the last time we were here?**

Before Piper can place her phone down on the bed, it vibrates in her hand. Not expecting her girlfriend to reply so promptly, the blonde smirks at the fact that Alex must have been holding her phone when the message sent.

 **Alex: Fondly.**

Taking off her white t-shirt, now revealing her white laced bra, the blonde sends another picture to the brunette.

 **Piper: It's all I can think about.**

 **Alex: Pipes, I don't think sexting is the wisest thing to do right now. We both have company. Rain check?**

Seeing her girlfriend's response, yet agreeing with her, the blonde decides to tone down her advances, slightly frustrated that she was shut down so quickly.

 **Piper: Am I that predictable? But you're right - I have to get ready because apparently we're hosting some of the neighbours tonight, which seems exciting…**

 **Alex: Were any of these neighbours at your dad's party?**

 **Piper: Why? Jealous?**

 **Alex: Of course not - just curious, that's all. I have a full house too at the minute - Nic and my mom won't shut up about setting us up, so hopefully your evening will be just as fun as mine, kid.**

 **Piper: I can't guarantee that one.**

Deciding she really should start getting ready, the blonde comes up with a good idea; taking off her bra, she sends one last picture to Alex, displaying the glory of her topless form.

 **Piper: Have fun, Al x**

Seeing the three dots appear and then disappear twice at the bottom of the screen, the blonde smiles, obviously having flustered her girlfriend.

 **Alex: Fuck, Piper, no fair. I called a rain check.**

Laughing at the expected response, the blonde decides not to reply, plotting how she wants this said 'rain check' to play out.

* * *

After spending most of her evening catching up with her brothers, in which she consumed a more than healthy amount of alcohol, the blonde is feeling buzzed, and along with the help of the text message thread she started in her bedroom with Alex, she's feeling rather horny.

What doesn't help her situation, however, is the man, who introduced himself as one of the neighbours, that sat down and has been talking to her for the last 10 minutes at the table she was sitting at alone in the garden.

"I haven't seen you around here before, Piper." states the blonde-haired man sitting opposite her.

Although she can admit he has some attractive features, the blonde has no interest in talking to this man, who she learns is called Mason - well that's what she thinks he's called in her drunken state - being that the only thing on her mind is her girlfriend and the string of their increasingly dirty text messages - well, more so dirty on her own part.

"You see me now, can't you?" she asks, pointing at herself and then using her hands to cover her face.

"Of course I can. I couldn't miss a beautiful face like yours," he says, reaching across the table to gently pull her hands from her face.

In her current state of intoxication, the blonde doesn't really understand what's going on, as her focus is on her phone which rests hidden on her thighs under the table. She can't help but laugh at the man as she pulls her hands away to check for a reply to her most recent - more explicit - message; ' _And then i'll ride your face and cum in your mouth_ ' - one of which, if she were sober, would have her blushing.

The man opposite her, oblivious to the fact that her attention is elsewhere, sees Piper's laugh and lack of reply as a sign of shy encouragement; she's playing hard to get. Deeming the time to be right, he finally decides to launch full-force into what he had planned when he first sat at the table.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, Piper?" he asks, assuming his previous comment startled her.

"Yes," the blonde replies bluntly. Looking up from her phone as her body sways sideways, she smiles at her latest advancement with Alex, who had replied: ' _God, Pipes, can't you wait a bit longer? You're already making me hot_ '.

"Oh, well, um… you are _really_ beautiful."

"Oh yeah?" she says, typing a message back to Alex: ' _I'm so wet, Al. I had to change pants during dinner. I can feel my hard nipples through my dress_ '.

Despite her own daze, what Piper thought was a dull question in response, the man opposite her saw as a sign of flirtation, and being that she too, as admitted to Alex, can feel her hardened nipples, the man opposite her can see them poking through the fabric of her dress, something he thinks is attributed to his attempts at seduction.

"Come," he says, holding out his hand.

"That's what she said," the blonde replies through a throaty laugh, and it becomes apparent to the man that she won't be moving anytime soon unless it's on her own accord.

Getting up from his chair, the man moves to sit next to the blonde, looking to check that no one from inside the house is watching.

"If I've read this correctly, this is what you want, isn't it?" he says, putting his hand on her elbow, sliding it down her arm.

"Hmm?" she asks, having not realised the man is now next to her.

"Come on, Piper, you don't have a boyfriend. Let's take this to my place next door. No one will be there," he replies, now placing his hand on the top of her thigh.

At that contact, red alarms go off in the blonde's head, and although she's been craving this contact since she got here, despite her tipsy state, she knows it's not the one she needs and wants.

Pushing his hand away, and standing from her chair, the blonde, who now has no filter, proceeds to tell the man what she really thinks.

"First of all, Mason-"

"It's Jason."

"Right, Justin," she tries to corrects herself, ignoring his second attempt at interrupting. "I don't know what kind of books you read, but you sure as hell read this one wrong because a) I have a _girlfriend_ who I am _very much_ gay for, b) I haven't been listening to a single thing you've been saying because I've been too busy _sexting_ my said _girlfriend_ , and c) the only dick i'll ever be jumping on is Alex's… well not that she has a _dick_ dick, but you know she can wear a-" Piper says, rambling due to the effects of her alcohol consumption, before she's interrupted as her shoulders are pulled back, causing her to turn around.

Now in front of her is her younger brother, Cal, who is holding an iPhone in her face, looking as though he's trying to hold in a laugh.

"You okay there, Pipes?" Cal asks his sister.

"No. This fucking asshole, Jeremy-"

"It's Jason!" he shouts, now angry at the situation that's unfolding before him.

"You know what, fuck you, James, Justin, Jason. They'll all stupid fucking names anyway," Piper shouts, now being pulled away and into the house by Cal.

"They're all pretty common names, Pipes," Cal adds, hoping not to piss of his sister more than she already seems to be as they now stand in the kitchen.

"Shit, sorry, Cal," Piper says, her head down, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Ah it was fun. I think you'll love this in the morning," he says, wiggling the iPhone that he's still holding up. "Oh and you have a message on this," he says, holding out the phone that the blonde had dropped when she got up from her chair outside. "It seems important," he smiles, before adding, "everyone left to go and see next door's new kitchen. Can you make it upstairs okay?"

"Ye...ah," Piper slowly breathes out as she throws off her shoes and heads for the stairs, hit with a pang of arousal as she reads Alex's latest text: ' _God, Pipes, I wish I was between those legs right now, tasting how wet you really are. Swallowing you_ '.

Nasty motherfuckers," Cal says to himself, chuckling as he watches his sister go up the stairs - to do what, he doesn't want to know, while he then goes to kick out the asshole in their garden.

* * *

"Al, are you there?" Piper asks down the phone as she shuts the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm here, Pipes, you okay?"

"Horny."

"That was all your own doing," Alex replies down the phone, her hearty chuckle causing Piper's lower region to contract.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home, Piper, you know this."

"No, Al, _where are you?_ Living room? Bathroom?"

"Oh, bedroom."

"And your mom?"

"In the guestroom."

"Okay, good," the blonde breathes down the line, almost as though struggling.

"Piper are you sure you're okay? Where are you?"

"Fine, just need to… bathroom," she wavers off, her drunkenness entertaining her girlfriend on the other line of the phone, but before Alex can further enquire, the phone call ends.

Reaching into her panties, after hiking up her dress - the struggling sound that was apparent to Alex down the phone, Piper runs two fingers through her wetness, before reluctantly taking them out. With her free hand, opening the camera app, she takes a picture of her hand, before sending it to her girlfriend.

 **Piper: This is what you do to me.**

Not expecting a picture, assuming there was a fault with their phone connection, the brunette lets out a moan at the sight of her girlfriend's wet digits.

 **Alex: Jesus Christ, Piper.**

The blonde sends another picture, this time with her fingers in her mouth.

 **Piper: Al, I wish it was you tasting me right now.**

 **Alex: You know I want that too, Pipes.**

With all the courage she has, heavily influenced by the amount of wine she had drank that evening, the blonde sends one last picture. One of which consists of her soaked, shaved, pussy, uncovered and swollen with need. A picture that reveals what she craves, and is almost enough to send Alex over the edge when she sees it.

The next thing she knows, Piper's picking up her ringing phone, a demanding deep voice answering on the other end.

"Go to your room, Piper."

"Alex can't I stay here I like-"

"Piper - just fucking do it."

Slightly shocked, yet incredibly turned on, by her girlfriend's tone of voice, Piper does what she's told, going to her bedroom, lucky that no one is staying in any of the rooms along her corridor.

"Okay, I'm here. What're you wearing?"

"Just my underwear, thanks to you."

"Al, I'm not in your home to undress you… oh, I get it," the blonde adds, feeling annoyed by her alcohol-consumed idiocy.

"Are you good?" Alex asks, waiting for Piper to get started.

"Yeah," Piper moans out, "I'm touching my wet clit. God… I'm so wet, Alex."

"I want you to imagine your fingers are mine, baby, running up and down through your wetness," Alex says, taking off the remainder of her clothes before replicating what she's telling the blonde to do.

"Ughh" a moan rips from the blonde's throat, "my nipples are aching for you."

"Take your hand away from your pussy and touch them. Cover them with your wetness."

"Fuck," Alex hears down the phone, an indication that Piper followed her orders, and with her hand on her own centre, the brunette's fingers speed up.

"Alex, I need you… inside."

"Okay, baby, take your fingers and run them through your pussy, around your centre," Alex says, waiting a few moments, "and now use two fingers to slip inside."

" _Three_ ," the blonde moans out loudly, evidence that she followed Alex's instruction.

"Okay, three fingers. Tell me what you're thinking about, Pipes."

"I'm riding you and you're… you're…"

"You can say it, baby."

"You're wearing a strap on," Piper moans down the phone, eyes rolling back along with her head, suddenly pleased Alex can't see her reddening face.

"Shit, Pipes, that's so hot," Alex moans out, surprised at how open her girlfriend's being, as she also plunges three fingers into her own centre. "I'm grabbing your hips as you thrust up and down on me, controlling your movements."

"Harder, Alex, fuck… harder."

"I lift my hips up to meet your motions, lifting my head to take your hard nipple into my mouth as signs of your upcoming orgasm start to show."

"No, wait!" Piper almost shouts down the phone through heavy breaths. "Behind. Take me from behind."

At the request, Alex rolls her eyes, not being able to believe what's happening; the blonde has never been so explicit about her own fantasies, and it's something she sure as hell wants to explore further.

"You're on your hands and knees as I fuck you from behind, gripping your hips" Alex says, her fingers speeding up between her legs, "while the sound of your moans mixed with wetness fills the room."

"Fuck, I'm gonna come, don't stop."

"You rock into me as my thrusts increase. I move one hand to your perfect ass, kneading the skin, listening to you beg for it. Beg to let you come."

"Al, please," Piper moans, her fingers plunging deeply into her centre while being sucked in my her contacting walls.

"I spank your ass hard as you meet my thrusts, causing you to tilt your head back and scream my name into the ceiling."

At hearing what her girlfriend is hypothetically doing to her, living up to the fantasy in her head, Piper lets go, warning the woman down the phone of her fall.

"ALEX I'M CUMMING, I'M CUMMING, I'M CUMMING, I'M CUMMING."

And at hearing the sound of Piper letting go, Alex too reaches her peak, grunting down the phone.

"Me too, Pipes, cumming."

A series of grunts and moans - especially on Piper's end, wash through the phone line, before they come to an eventual halt.

"Alex?"

"Yeah."

"I love-" holding herself back, the blonde refrains from saying what she feels; sharing her emotions after having kinky phone sex isn't the right time, she quickly concludes. "-ed it."

"I loved it too," Alex replies, leaving the blonde wondering if she noticed her blip. "Did you have me on speaker?"

"Yeah, but I turned the volume down and put the phone on the pillow near my ear," Piper says, her breath still shaky. "What about me?"

"Speaker: yes. Turning down the volume: no."

"Jesus, Alex."

"Hey, don't worry about it, my mom can't hear me from her room," Alex says as the line goes quiet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay, Al."

"What you said… is that something you want to try?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious," Piper whispers down the phone. "What about you? Is there anything you want us to do?"

"Plenty."

"Care to share?"

"I just don't want you to get too turned on again."

"I won't," Piper replies, but honestly doesn't know if she can trust her body.

" _I want to tie you up_."

"That sounds hot," Piper breathes down the phone, sliding her hand down her navel before stopping herself. "I'd like that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. A lot," Piper replies through a yawn.

"You're gonna be hung the fuck over tomorrow, kid. Get some sleep."

"Thanks for tonight, Al. I… I miss you."

"No, thank you. I miss you too, baby, remember to drink some water and take some ibuprofen in the morning."

"Will do, see you in 2 days."

"See you in 2 days."

With that, the phone call ends, and although all the signs point towards interesting morning wake-up calls for both parties, neither woman seems to care.


	15. Chapter 15

With her face first in the pillow, the white sheet resting over her hips revealing her naked back, Piper fails to hear the door of her room open, the light chuckling, or feel the dip in the bed. She does stir, however, at the tickling sensation of the sheet on her body being pulled higher, feeling the fabric brushing against her skin.

Groaning into the pillow, the blonde turns her head to the side, loose hair getting caught in her mouth, and she sees her brother, Cal, sitting on the side of the bed, smiling right at her.

"You're alive then."

"Mmm doesn't feel like it," Piper grunts, her voice rough with sleep as she turns onto her back, moving her hair from her mouth while holding the sheet up to keep her naked chest covered. "Is that for me?" she asks, pointing towards the water on the side table.

"Yeah, I figured you'd need a little boost this morning," Cal says, holding out two tablets and reaching over to pick up and pass his sister the glass of water, who's now sitting up against the headboard.

"Gosh I'm so thirsty," Piper states, gasping, having taken a large gulp of water from the glass. Repeating her motions twice, she places the tablets on her tongue before washing them down with the water, then goes on to finish the glass, handing it back to her brother. "Thanks, Cal. And thanks for last night too," she sheepishly adds, remembering elements of the night before.

"Well, you were quite the source of entertainment," the scruffy man adds, reaching into the pocket of his jeans to retrieve his phone, before handing it to the blonde. "Here, this'll cheer you up."

Wondering what she's about to watch, and confused as to why her brother has such a smug look on his face, Piper clicks play on the device, making sure the brightness doesn't add to her headache, while hoping this is something that won't embarrass her.

 _'Hey Pipes, it's me, Cal!'_ booms out of the phone's speakers, with the image of her brother's bearded face close up to the camera.

 _'You're probably watching this right now wondering what's going on, but I'm sure this will trigger your memory. I'm currently alone in the kitchen because everyone left to go see something at the neighbours' house, and you're outside with their son looking well, rather… pissed. Wait what?'_

Cal's voice rises in question and his face goes slightly out of the video's shot, a sign that he's extending his head to get a better view of whatever's going on outside.

 _'Oh, yeah. I've seen that before. You're very pissed about something,'_ Cal laughs into the screen before going on to ask himself: _'How do I switch this? Oh here.'_ Soon enough, the screen in the video flips, which now provides a view of the kitchen the man was standing in.

 _'Let's go and see what's brought out the famous Piper temper tonight, shall we?'_ Cal's voice asks, as the screen now shows his hand opening the door to the garden; Piper's shouting can immediately be heard:

 _'First of all, Mason-'_

 _'It's Jason.'_

 _'Right, Justin.'_

Cal's laughing can be heard in the background of the video, a sign of which indicates that he found this argumentative side of his sister amusing.

 _'I don't know what kind of books you read, but you sure as hell read this one wrong because a) I have a girlfriend who I am very much gay for, b) I haven't been listening to a single thing you've been saying because I've been too busy sexting my said girlfriend, and c) the only dick i'll ever be jumping on is Alex's… well not that she has a dick dick, but you know she can wear a-'_

The video shows Cal reaching out his arm, and the blonde turning to face the person who touched her, her face scrunched up in anger, as her blonde hair flows with the breeze of the wind, and her blue eyes are darker than normal, pupils dilated.

 _'You okay there, Pipes?'_

 _'No. This fucking asshole, Jeremy-'_

 _'It's Jason!'_ comes a voice from outside the video's screen, which pans to show the person who the voice belongs to, and then back to Piper.

 _'You know what, fuck you, James, Justin, Jason. They'll all stupid fucking names anyway,'_ Piper shouts at the man, and the screen now shows her being pulled by Cal into the house.

 _'They're all pretty common names, Pipes.'_

 _'Shit, sorry, Cal,'_ comes Piper's voice, as the video now shows her leaning on the kitchen counter with her head hanging low.

The camera then turns and focuses on Piper's phone that lies on the grass outside the open backdoor, which Cal walks over to collect, the video's focus wavering in and out.

 _'Ah it was fun. I think you'll love this in the morning. Oh and you have a message on this. It seems important.'_ Cal's says from behind the camera where he's now recording his sister again. _'Everyone left to go and see next door's new kitchen. Can you make it upstairs okay?'_

The video shows the blonde in a daze while she stares at her phone, obviously distracted from whatever it says, before adding a quick _'ye...ah,'_ and turning to head up the stairs.

 _'Nasty motherfuckers,'_ Cal says to himself before letting out a loud laugh, obviously one that he'd been holding in, and the camera flips back around so that it's back on his face. _'Well I hope you enjoy your phone sex with Alex - yes I did see the message she sent when I picked up your phone and… let's just say I think I'll stay down here for the rest of the evening.'_

Moving the phone closer to his face, giving a wobbling view of his beard and up his nostrils, Cal adds, _'And I thought you'd like to know I heard dad telling the neighbours that your girlfriend owns a successful business! I know, I was shocked too, but hey, I guess having a lesbian daughter might up their status at the country club? Piper prefers pussy Chapman! Oh man you're gonna love that one.'_ Cal laughs into the screen, evident tears forming in his eyes as he tries to compose himself.

 _'Anyway, I hope you enjoy watching this, and disclaimer: by the time you have watched this, I'll probably have sent it on to someone already. Love you Pipes!'_

With that, the video ends, and the blonde, still sitting against her headboard, doesn't quite know what to say or do; Cal, on the other hand, is slightly frightened by his sister's reaction - or her lack of.

"Who did you send it to, Cal?" she asks, lowering her hand that holds the phone, her gaze burning a hole into the white wall opposite.

"You don't need to worry about that," he replies, leaning over slightly to try and retrieve his phone from his sister's grip.

Before he succeeds, however, the phone in her hand vibrates, and after slapping her brother's hand away, Piper lowers her eyes to the phone, her temper increasing tenfold as she unlocks the phone - her brother, being that he isn't greatly familiar with modern technology, doesn't have a passcode on his phone. She opens the text thread, and begins to read the two messages below the attached video.

 **Cal: Hey, Alex, it's Piper's brother, Cal. I thought she'd want you to see this - I don't know how you put up with her.**

 **Alex Vause: Cal, hi! While I can't say I'm surprised Piper's made friends with the alcohol cabinet, you should probably go into hiding after taking this - that's how I've learned to put up with her for this long. Make sure she's still alive - she seemed in quite a state last night, that's if you're still alive and can read this... (PS: the phone sex was amazing, thanks) -AV.**

Despite the fluttering in her chest that appeared when reading that Alex asked Cal to check on her, and the tinge of red her cheeks turned having seen her call their phone sex amazing to her brother, Piper feels a sudden bout of anger return, annoyed that her brother sent the video to her girlfriend without her consent in the first place.

"YOU SENT THAT TO ALEX? WHAT THE FUCK CAL?!" she shouts as her brother jumps up from the bed and runs out the door laughing.

Getting out of the bed, but suddenly realising she isn't wearing any clothes, Piper grabs and puts on her robe, before running after her brother, who escaped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

"I swear to God, Cal, when you get out of there I'm going to fucking-"

"Piper Elizabeth Chapman, language!" her mother scolds as she approaches her daughter along the hallway. "Why aren't you dressed? It's nearly 11, Piper - your grandmother will be here soon," she adds with a somber tone, something that catches Piper's attention.

"On it mom," she replies through a sigh, heading back to her bedroom.

She quickly checks her phone - something she surprisingly put on charge before sleeping the night before, while grinning at the reminder of the other surprising things she did with her phone the night before, which soon turns into a toothy smile when she sees the name of the person who had sent her three text messages in quick succession.

 **Alex: Happy Thanksgiving, babe. Or should I say _Piper prefers pussy Chapman_? x**

 **Alex: As long as it's only my pussy you prefer then that's something I can deal with.**

 **Alex: Okay, I'm done teasing. I'll call you later - try not to drink too much because a repeat of last night when I'm in Nicky's company all day is not something that's happening x**

Typing on the keyboard to reply, Piper laughs to herself, acknowledging her growing feelings for her girlfriend.

* * *

"What're you smiling at, four eyes?" Nicky asks her best friend through a mouthful of food.

"I'm not smiling at anything," Alex replies, taking a sip of her drink to hide her actual smiling face.

"Does it have something to do with a certain someone that has a name linked to plumbing?'

"The last time I remember, I don't know a person called burst water main."

"Oh that's a shame because someone named Piper came into work once, and I'd love to burst her pipes - I thought you knew her."

"Nicky!" shouts both Alex and Lorna; while her best friend flips her off with her eyes, her girlfriend slaps Nicky on the arm.

"I'm kidding! That's Alex's job - to burst Piper's water mains."

"Nicky for once can you just not be yourself. For 5 minutes?"

"Oh come on, Alex, she's only joking with you," Diane adds in, entertained by the wild-haired woman's humour.

"I can't believe you're taking her side, mom. What is it now? You two all of a sudden ganging up on me?"

"Well she didn't have to hear you helping Piper burst her pipes last night, so yeah, I will," Diane says, which causes the whole table to burst out laughing, leaving Alex wide-eyed.

Moving back from the table, the younger brunette gets up from her chair.

"Where're you going, Al? We're only kidding," Diane asks.

"I'm going to get the stuffing."

"Yeah, I bet you are," Nicky adds.

"Yeah, I am, so I can stuff your fucking hole shut," Alex shouts as she goes to grab the stuffing from the kitchen counter.

"Oh I'm not too sure what blondie will have to say about that, Vause," Nicky jokes.

"You know that's not what I fucking meant, Nicky. Can you all just please try and talk about something else?"

"Sure we can, isn't that right, Nicky?" Lorna asks her girlfriend, lightly nudging her arm.

"Mhmmm."

"Fucking finally," Alex shouts as she exits the dining space.

"Alex you don't need to repeat yourself - you kept using that phrase last night."

The table anticipates Alex's reaction, and having heard a plate smash on the floor followed by a shout of 'motherfucker', it's safe to say they've managed pissed off the woman in the kitchen.

* * *

Grabbing onto the side of the kitchen counter, looking at the smashed plate and now mush of stuffing on the floor, the brunette sighs, annoyed that her mom and Nicky won't stop teasing her, almost as though they're trying to get one up on each other.

Checking her phone that she silenced and left on the table before dinner, the brunette sees 6 missed calls from Piper and 2 texts asking her to please pick up the phone. Suddenly worried as to why Piper reached out to her so many times, the brunette calls her girlfriend, who answers after the first ring.

"Pipes I'm sorry I missed your calls - what's wrong?" Alex asks, but doesn't receive a response, as all she can hear is heavy breathing down the line. "Piper?"

"Sorry, Al," the blonde's defeated voice rings down the phone line through a sniff, "I just… I just really needed to hear your voice," she adds, her voice breaking mid-sentence.

"Pipes, what's the matter? You know you can tell me."

At this admission from Alex's soothing voice, the blonde starts to cry down the phone, something that Alex hates being that she isn't there in person to do something about it.

"After lunch… my grandmother… she… she told us-" Piper pants out as she tries to stop crying.

"Pipes, slow down. Breathe for me. What did she tell you?"

"She's ill, Alex. It's her heart again… she-" the blonde lets out another sob down the phone, unable to continue with her sentence.

Alex, knowing the importance that Piper's grandmother holds in her life, continues to try and calm her girlfriend down, eventually managing to put a stop to the crying and staggered breathing that alone almost managed to pierce through her seemingly composed resolve.

* * *

 **I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long... maybe another update later today or tomorrow?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's another double update, so make sure you haven't missed the last chapter!**

 **For the Guest asking, I live in London, England, so perhaps that can also spare me if any of my interpretations about Thanksgiving are incorrect!**

 **I'm hoping the ending is satisfying enough and not too cliché...**

 **Enjoy! (F** **lashbacks are italicised.)**

* * *

 _Piper found the atmosphere at lunch to be somewhat tense; her brother's, Danny and Cal, she sensed, could feel it too, and in their attempts to start conversation at the table, responses from her mother, father and grandmother were all limited. It wasn't until lunch was over that Carol and Bill collected the empty plates of food from the table, saying they were going to clean up in the kitchen. Suspicious by their actions, considering Carol is known to hire someone to deal with the state of the kitchen, the three siblings eye one another, each looking equally confused._

 _"What's going on?" Danny asks his grandmother, knowing she's aware as to why the atmosphere has an eerie awkwardness._

 _"I wanted to wait a little longer to tell you - before I knew more details, but my treatment hasn't been working. The doctors don't know how far into next year it'll be before I'm no longer around."_

 _Stunned by her grandmother's admission, the blonde zones out, trying her best to hold in her emotions, which causes her to miss the remainder of Celeste's explanation. It was common knowledge that her grandmother had a recurring illness, but Piper was under the impression she was getting better; it was too soon for her to die._

 _"Piper. Piper," the blonde snaps out of her daydream, focus blurred by the tears close to spilling from her eyes, and she now sees that she sits alone with her grandmother at the table, not knowing where her brothers went, or how long she had been sitting at the table. "I know it's hard to hear, but I wanted you all to know," Celeste says, moving next to her granddaughter, grabbing her hand that was resting on the table._

 _"How long have you known?" Piper asks while sniffing, trying hard not to cry._

 _"Just over a week. I told your parents first and then you three," Celeste squeezes Piper's hand, coaxing eye contact. "Piper this isn't something I want you to worry about, honey. The hospital's doing everything they can to find a new treatment. We need to be realistic and think about what's going to happen when I'm not here."_

 _Piper, no longer able to keep herself together, drops eye contact with her grandmother and lets the tears fall from her eyes._

 _"Oh Piper, come here," Celeste says, pulling her granddaughter into a hug, the sound of the blonde's quiet sobs filling the room. Rubbing her hand down the younger woman's back, Celeste goes on to add: "why don't we talk about this a little more another time, okay? We can't have you all sad about something we don't know a lot about yet."_

 _Piper pulls away from her grandmother's shoulder, attempting to give a smile as the latter leans over and uses a tissue to wipe away the tears threatening to stain her cheeks._

 _"Okay," Piper sniffs, letting out a heavy breath before standing up, followed by her grandmother._

 _"I love you a terrible amount, Piper, don't you ever forget that," Celeste concludes, squeezing both of the blonde's upper arms, leaving the room before her granddaughter can reply._

 _Piper, still in a state of heightened emotions, goes to her room with the intention of calling Alex, needing to hear her voice. However, after several unanswered calls and messages, she believes that Alex isn't going to answer anytime soon. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she hangs her head low, trying again not to cry over something that, according to her grandmother, isn't certain. Her composure soon fades as the phone in her hand rings, and the name of the person she'd been craving to speak to appears on the screen. At hearing the husky voice of her girlfriend call her name, Piper crumbles again, wishing Alex were in the room with her._

* * *

Their phone call lasted for 30 minutes, one of which led to Piper craving for her girlfriend's presence more than she normally does - even though she had to persuade Alex to stay at home with her guests and not drive all the way to Connecticut to pick her up. The blonde, despite being upset about Celeste's declining health, having thought about and discussed what her grandmother had said about the lack of certainty and the lack of need to worry with Alex, she started to feel less anxious, knowing that she'll do everything in her power to make the remaining time with her grandmother - however long that may be - as special as it could possibly be.

As evening approaches, the blonde debates whether she should head home instead of staying the night as intended, being that the normal, more upbeat, Thanksgiving mood wasn't felt by anyone in the household. Still seated on the edge of her bed, Piper clicks the home button on her phone just so she can look at the background of her lock screen. The image, one that was taken a few weeks ago when they went on a date night, shows the blonde laughing into the camera mid-smile, while Alex, in what was an attempt at aiming for her cheek, is kissing Piper on the jaw, also laughing. The blonde's heart flutters at the image, and when puts the phone down onto the bed, moving to inform her family that she'll be heading home instead of staying another night, her door opens, and in walks in her smiling grandmother.

"So this is where you've been hiding."

"Sorry I was on the phone to Alex… I'm driving back this evening, so had to check on a few things," Piper replies, moving to sit back on the bed next to her grandmother who had taken residence on the bed's edge.

"Why didn't you bring Alex with you this weekend?" Celeste asks, wanting to avoid upsetting her granddaughter by questioning why she's going home early.

"Oh she was doing her own thing. I tried to get out of this, but now I know why this year had an important announcement," Piper wavers off, trying her best to let out a genuine smile.

"Well you keep her around, Piper," Celeste says, not letting the subject change, " I like her. Maybe if I was about 30 years younger, you'd have a fight on your hands."

"Grandmother!" Piper shouts as they both share a laugh. "I do intend on keeping her around though," she ends on a more quiet note, her cheeks flushing at the verbal admission.

"Tell her that then, dear. How you feel," Celeste states, her eyes flicking down to the phone that lights up on the bed, an indication that a message has come through. "How long have you been together now?" the blonde's grandmother goes on to ask, smiling at her phone background.

"Nearly four months… but what if she doesn't feel the same?"

"Well from how I see it, if she's willing to go out of their way to come and save you from that mother of yours, then she certainly feels something," Celeste says, looking back down at the phone with a chuckle. "I probably won't see you before you leave; I have some tasks to do. You and Alex must come and stay with me sometime soon," she adds while hugging her granddaughter, before breaking away and kissing her forehead. "Tell her, Piper."

"Thank you grandmother. I love you."

"I love you too, dear. You're a bit eager to start practicing, aren't you? Just look a bit happier when you tell Alex, okay?"

"Sure," Piper replies while grinning, and the pair share a wave as Celeste leaves the room.

Knowing how she feels about her girlfriend had previously scared her, but the more time they spend together, the more she feels confident of herself. In times like these - when they're apart, the blonde finds herself imagining what Alex would say, imagine her fixing her glasses when she's nervous, watching the sly smirk that covers her face whenever something embarrassing happens.

She picks up her phone to tell Alex she'll be heading home this evening, and she reads the text her grandmother was referring to:

 **Alex: Just let me know if you need me to pick you up - I'm sure Carol won't mind that you're running off with the big bad lesbian.**

Smiling to herself at Alex's description, she replies, letting her girlfriend know what her plan is for the evening, before going to inform the rest of her family.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Diane asks as Alex returns back into the living room.

"A lot better. She's coming back home this evening," Alex replies sinking into the room's empty armchair.

"And how are you doing?" Diane continues, looking over at her daughter, "you look tired."

"I'm fine. It's just… I feel bad for fucking up Thanksgiving for everyone and I'm frustrated that I couldn't do anything to help stop Piper from crying down the phone for 20 minutes."

"Al, you didn't ruin Thanksgiving. We all understand," Diane says sympathetically. "I'm sure Nicky and Lorna appreciated the alone time your little flip-out gave them."

Tilting her head back and groaning into the ceiling, Alex closes her eyes in an attempt to erase the memory of her so-called 'flip out'.

* * *

 _Having been suspicious that her best friend had been missing from the dinner table for quite a while, Nicky went searching for the tall brunette, only to then find Alex resting her elbows on the kitchen table, both hands gripping her hair, surrounded by a smashed plate and a pile of mushed up stuffing on the floor._

 _"Vause, it's only stuffing, we can always make some more," Nicky says, assuming Alex was cooling down having dropped the food. "Alex?" she later goes on to task, wondering why her best friend wasn't responding._

 _Moving closer to touch the taller woman on the shoulder, the wild-haired woman fathoms that the brunette's distress wasn't caused by the food on the floor, and suddenly feels a bout of worry as she turns to face her, eyes red as her nose sniffles._

 _"Sorry, Nic, I just needed a minute."_

 _"Are you okay? What happened?"_

 _"Piper called. It's her grandmother… she's ill and the crying it just wouldn't stop and I wasn't there and then she was panicking and then she-" the brunette's cut off as Nicky pulls her into a bone-crushing hug, not needing her to expand upon her emotional explanation._

 _The brunette tries her best not to cry again as the pair stand in the kitchen hugging, and by the time she feels composed enough, she pulls back._

 _"Thanks," Alex says, fixing her glasses, feeling vulnerable in her current state._

 _"You can't beat yourself for not being there for her in person, Alex. That just wasn't possible. I'm sure just hearing your voice alone was enough," Nicky comments sincerely._

 _"You called me Alex. You never call me Alex," the brunette says, smiling._

 _"Well, I can't have you turning into a weeping bitch now, can I?" Nicky laughs. "Seriously, Vause. Just help her talk it out. Lorna and I can go if you want? Looks like the stuffing won't be coming to join us at the table anytime soon."_

 _"Nic you don't have to-"_

 _"No, Vause, you take care of you. And I still need to give Lorna her bullet vibrator. That'll put the 'giving' into Thanksgiving," Nicky winks, smirking._

 _"You got Lorna a vibrator as a present?"_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"Jesus, Nic," Alex laughs, turning to move from the kitchen._

 _"It's okay - i'll go explain. Dinner's stuffed without stuffing anyway, right?" Nicky asks, smiling at her best friend as she leaves to carry out damage control._

* * *

"Why don't you go for a nap before you head to Piper's? She won't be home for a few hours, " Diane asks, seeing her daughter replaying the day through her head.

"Are you sure, Mom? I invited you; you shouldn't have to stay here by yourself."

"Honey, I live alone and I brought you up alone. I think somehow I'll survive," Diane replies sarcastically. "Now go. The bags under your eyes are showing even with them big frames of yours."

"Alright, alright," Alex says getting up. Kissing her mother on the head, she goes to her bedroom to take a nap, making sure her phone's ringer is on high to hear Piper's call.

* * *

It's now nearing 11pm when Alex finds herself standing outside the door of her girlfriend's apartment with a bag of Chinese food and a bottle of wine, having already been buzzed up. After delivering a sturdy knock, the door flies open, and Alex is blessed with the sight of her beautiful girlfriend, dressed in grey tracksuit bottoms and a navy sweatshirt that actually belongs to the brunette herself.

"Hey, I figured you hadn't eaten yet," Alex greets, holding up her possessions.

The blonde grabs the food and the wine from her girlfriend's grip and puts them onto the side table, before pulling her girlfriend into the apartment and into a tight hug.

"You're the best, Al," she breathes into the taller woman's neck, then turns her head to connect their lips, both women producing light moans at their first contact in nearly 3 days. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Pipes. Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Piper replies, pulling away from the hug and bringing Alex's purchases into the kitchen. "I could do with having this whole bottle to myself," Piper says, as she goes to pour two glasses of wine while Alex puts the food onto two plates.

"Considering how much you drank last night, that's probably not the wisest of ideas."

"You're right," Piper chuckles, "I don't think one bottle would be enough to cover the day I've had anyway."

"Well, I'm all ears," Alex says as she carries the two plates to Piper's front room, joining the blonde who's now sitting on the sofa.

"I don't know where to start," Piper states.

"How about the beginning? That's normally a good place."

Feeling the fluttering in her chest again, the blonde smiles, feeling positive that she'll be able to explain everything that happened earlier in the day without breaking down.

An hour later, the two are cuddled up in Piper's bed, the blonde's leg lying across Alex's hip and her arm across her stomach, all thoughts of their empty plates and the empty bottle of wine left in the living room are forgotten.

"Hey I'm proud of you," Alex breaks the silence, rubbing her girlfriend's back. "What you just told me, that was really brave."

Removing her head from her girlfriend's neck, the blonde looks into Alex's green eyes, almost as though surprised. "You know, I don't think that anyone has ever used that word to describe me in the history of the universe."

Returning the look of awe she's receiving from the blonde, Alex continues, happy to be sharing this moment together. "I'm glad you were running late from work one particular evening 6 months ago, kid."

"Me too, although I was pissed at the time, it was rather rewarding on the flip side."

The two stare at each other, almost afraid to break the serene setting they've settled into.

"Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?" Piper sincerely asks the woman below her, moving a hand up to stroke her cheek.

"I can take a wild guess based upon my own perspective," Alex replies, pondering her next move, "but then again I can't really put a measurement on that."

"I can."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I can because… because I love you, Alex," the blonde pauses to take in a breath of air. "I've spent so long questioning how I really feel, and having come to the conclusion that I need you; I need this; I need us; _I know_ I'm in love with you."

Feeling a weight lifted from her chest, the blonde rapidly blinks her eyes that, for the nth time today - although on a much more positive note - threaten to spill tears. While Alex, on the other hand, feels her heart soar at Piper's statement. Hearing that her girlfriend is _in love_ with her brings upon a wave of emotion she has never felt before.

"It's a good thing you're not the only one who's done some soul-searching, Pipes, because I love you too. I love the way you crinkle your nose when you laugh; I love how stubborn you get when you haven't slept for long enough; I love everything about you - even your compulsive need to organise everything. So, Piper Chapman, _I'm certain_ that I'm in love with you."

Piper leans down to connect their lips, both smiling into the kiss, knowing they've passed through an important milestone in their relationship.


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter's practically just R rated - not so much plot, but it'll help set me on track for what I have planned.** **Let me know what you think!**

 **(Strangely inspired to write this while listening to Hozier's new song: 'Nina Cried Power', so I recommend giving that a listen!)**

* * *

The kiss turns passionate as the brunette plunges her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth, who now rolls on top, causing them to both moan at the sensation. The brunette's hands wander up the back of the blonde's sweatshirt before tugging at the hem, indicating she wants it removed. Getting off the bed, ignoring Alex's protests, the blonde pulls off her sweatshirt, followed by her tracksuit bottoms, bra and pants, leaving her standing at the end of the bed completely naked.

Mesmerised by the sight of her girlfriend's body, Alex props herself up on her elbows, allowing her eyes to get a better view when scanning Piper's body. Her collarbones are covered in a slither of sweat, suggesting a sweatshirt wasn't the best attire for this evening's activities; her breasts, although not the biggest, are open in their perky form, revealing her taut nipples; her torso, also showing a light sheen of sweat, is toned in all the right places, descending to the visible v-line at her hips down to her mound, wetness dampening its small hairs and inner thighs.

"See something you like?" Piper asks seductively.

"You'll find out when you get back over here."

"Not until you're in the same dress code," Piper responds, referring to Alex's still fully dressed state.

Sitting up, the brunette removes her t-shirt and bra, before lifting her hips and attempting to remove her trousers and cotton pants without making a fool of herself.

Now in the same state of dress, the blonde returns to the bed, this time straddling her girlfriend's stomach, both moaning at the feel of her wetness, as their lips reconnect in a zealous kiss.

"How'd you want it?" Alex asks, as her lips move to the blonde's chest, sucking on her skin, yet avoiding her hard peaks.

Groaning at the sensation, the blonde grabs the back of her girlfriend's hair, pulling her head away from her chest; without saying a word, Piper moves up Alex's body, so that her knees are either side of the brunette's head, looking down to make eye contact.

"I see. Like this then?" Alex asks smugly, wrapping her arms around the blonde's thighs to pull her closer.

"Ye...ah," Piper moans, her speech faltering as the woman below her trails her tongue along her inner thigh, collecting the sticky wetness that had begun to leak down her legs. "Al… please," the blonde pleads, becoming increasingly frustrated by her girlfriend's slow advances.

"Please what?"

"You know what."

"Mmm I'm afraid I don't," Alex replies smugly, running her nose through the small layer of hair covering the blonde's mound.

"Just fuck me, Al."

"Ask nicely…" Alex probes, enjoying the view of the frustrated woman above her.

"Alex, please, just fuck me I can't take it any-"

The blonde's cut off as she's pulled further down by the strong arms around her thighs, causing her centre to come into contact with Alex's tongue.

"Like that, yes, just like that," Piper encourages as Alex runs her tongue through wet folds while moaning into her centre, the vibrations matching her growing arousal.

Reaching her own hand down, Piper plays with her clit, and, much to the enjoyment of the brunette, an influx of wetness leaves the blonde's centre, leaving more substance for Alex to swallow.

"Al, inside."

"Mmm," is all Alex replies, reaching her hands round to the blonde's ass, kneading the skin there. "Do you own a vibrator?" the brunette goes on to ask, surprising the woman above her.

"In the nightstand," Piper responds out of annoyance as the brunette had removed her mouth from her centre.

Reaching over to the draw of the nightstand and opening it, Alex pulls out Piper's wand vibrator.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course," the blonde says sincerely, wondering where Alex is going with this, but before she can allow her mind to wonder, she's thrown off by the brunette's tongue returning to her centre, except this time plunging through her folds and directly into her tight opening. "Fuck, Alex."

With her hands now resting on the blonde's hips, holding the vibrator in her right hand, Alex allows the blonde to start riding her face in line with the quickening movements of her tongue, causing her own arousal to increase, something she can feel soaking between her own thighs. Despite enjoying the moans of pleasure coming from the blonde, Alex decides she needs to continue with her plan, not wanting her girlfriend to come before she can put the new appliance to good use.

Opening her eyes, the brunette removes her right hand from the blonde's hip and uses her thumb to turn on the vibrator. The blonde, who has her head tilted back with her eyes shut, doesn't hear the low hum of the vibrations, but she does, however, feel them pulse through her body, as Alex places the vibrating wand on her wet, pulsing clit.

As her eyes dart open, the blonde looks down at her girlfriend, leaning forward to find something to hold onto.

"Oh God, Al," Piper moans out, as her hands eventually find the headboard, white-knuckling its rails.

With the sensation overload she's feeling, the blonde's hips start to move along Alex's face faster, while, from what she can feel, Alex speeds up the vibrations on the vibrator.

"Al, I'm… gonna come, don't stop, right there" Piper moans out, starting to feel the familiar coil in her stomach reaching breaking point.

Their eyes remain connected, but as the blonde's hips increase and Alex tries to hold the vibrator in place, it's focus on Piper's bundle of nerves wavers. Becoming frustrated that the focus on her clit isn't consistent, the blonde removes her left hand from the headboard, clasping over Alex's that trying to hold the device against her clit.

With the hand-breaking grip she has on Alex, Piper's directs the vibrator against her clit; her prominent, blue veins breaching the surface of her hands due to the strain she's putting on her muscles.

Sensing that the woman above her is nearly reaching her peak, Alex uses her free hand to reach for her girlfriend's chest, palming her breasts, as she alternates between playing with the blonde's nipples and kneading her reddening, sweaty skin.

Piper, on the other hand, is overwhelmed by what she's feeling in her lower regions. Unable to keep her moans to herself, a litany of profanities and what is meant to be her girlfriend's name spills from her lips, as a feeling she has never experienced before threatens to break loose. Her hips give harsh thrusts; the vibrator wrecks havoc on her pulsating bundle of nerves, and as she gives one final, harsh thrust while the woman below her pulls at her aching nipple, she lets go, falling from a heavenly height in an unexpected fashion.

"CUMMING CUMMING ALEX FUCK," the blonde screams out, repeating herself several times, as she experiences an orgasm like no other.

Alex, meanwhile, is stunned by not only the volume of the woman on top of her, but how she's managed to render her girlfriend into the current state of orgasmic bliss she's immersed in. Closing her eyes, the brunette experiences something she, despite having her moments of curiosity in finding the ways Piper's body ticks, was never expecting - not like this.

The vibrator fell out of the blonde's hand, leaving it to rest beside them on the bed, as her hands shoot down to roughly grab Alex's hair, helping the motion her hips, due to the sensation of her orgasm. Piper's wetness shoots out of her centre, soaking the brunette's face, which adds to the lubricated path she'd made from the movement of her hips.

"Ugh, fuck," Piper mutters as her hips slow down and her grip on the brunette's hair loosens, feeling dazed from the pleasure she'd just experienced.

Alex opens her eyes as the woman on top of her leans back, allowing the pair to share a smile.

"You okay?" Alex asks, not sure if her girlfriend realises what just happened.

"Never better," the blonde replies, moving backwards to straddle Alex's stomach, placing her hands on her shoulders. "That was amazing, Al. I've never come that hard before."

"I gathered that."

"I love you," Piper declares, stroking her girlfriend's cheek, but quickly becomes confused by the texture on the surface of Alex's skin. "Why's your face so wet?

"Well, schnookums, it seems you just can't get enough of me," Alex tries to joke, but given the genuine look of confusion on her girlfriend's face, she gives in. "You squirted, Pipes."

Embarrassed is an understatement for what the blonde's feels after having been told she'd just squirted all over her girlfriend's face while riding that said face. Using her hands, she covers her face, attempting to hide what she's currently feeling.

"Oh gosh, Al. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I've never-"

Alex sits up so that their chests are touching and puts both hands on the blonde's jawline, pulling her into a loving kiss.

"Pipes, I loved it. It was hot. I can't wait to make it happen again."

"Al, I thought it only happened in porn," Piper laughs, surprising her girlfriend.

"You're a porn star?!" Alex asks with her eyebrows raised, hoping she'll get the reaction she's looking for.

"No, Al! What the fuck?" she replies, hitting the brunette on the arm. "You'd never catch me having sex in front of an audience."

"Well that's something I can vouch for," Alex smiles, tucking a loose piece of hair behind the blonde's ear. "What about in front of a camera?"

"Yeah I wonder how that would look on my record: _Piper Chapman, local entrepreneur, opens her legs for business_."

Laughing at her girlfriend's double entendre, Alex suggests one of her own: " _Better yet: Piper Chapman, English major, soap maker, likes it artis-anal._ "

Turning a rose shade of red, the blonde pushes her girlfriend down onto the bed, thinking carefully about what she's about to ask. "Why is that something you're into…?"

"Oh fuck no, not fully" Alex laughs, "this shop's shut for business."

"Not fully?" Piper asks curiously.

"I don't like that kind of thing personally, but done things briefly with other people." Alex adds, immediately regretting her final comment.

"You've done it with other people?" Piper asks, trying not to let the sudden clench of her stomach, a sign of jealousy, show.

""What's with all the questions, kid?" Alex asks, pulling her girlfriend onto her body, wrapping her arms around her.

"I just… I like trying new things with you, Alex, and I want to know more about what you like… I mean, you know more about what I want than I do about what you want."

"Okay, how about we talk about some things we'd like to try?" Alex asks, and after receiving a nod, she thinks of something to start with. "Well we know I'd like to tie you up and you want to use a strap on… umm, I'd love to do it somewhere more public, where we won't get caught though."

Blushing at her girlfriend's comment, the blonde tries to fight her inhibitions and open up to Alex, and, for the first time, verbalise some of the things she fantasises about when alone. "Blindfo-," Piper stops, clearing her throat, "blindfolds. I'd like to try using them."

Alex smiles, pleased the blonde isn't hiding what she wants to say.

"Role play."

"69." This one causes the brunette to shut her eyes, letting out a groan before continuing.

"Watching you get yourself off."

This time it's the blonde's turn to let out a moan, feeling turned on all over again, "God, Al. Umm… watching each other getting off but being in different places without being able to touch or hear the other person."

"Christ, Pipes," Alex groans, not having thought of something like that herself.

"Recording us doing it," Alex bluntly adds, yet apprehensive for Piper's reaction.

"Like a sex tape?"

"Kinda, but without one of us leaking it for money," the brunette laughs.

"So that's why you asked about the camera?" Piper asks, kissing the nook of Alex's neck.

"Subtle, right? It's okay if you don't want to do it. It's just I've always wanted to, but wanted to wait for the right person to do it with."

"I'm flattered. As long as we're the only set of eyes to watch it."

"Of course," Alex replies, kissing Piper's cheek. "I love you, Pipes."

"I love you too, Al." Piper states while raising her head so their faces are in line. "Did I correctly hear you calling me schnookums earlier?"

"You did, but it was in between quotes."

"I didn't hear any quotes, love muffin," Piper replies through a smile, running her hand down the brunette's torso towards her mound. "Mmm so all this talk's really got you going? Let's see if we can do something about that," the blonde concludes, nibbling at her girlfriend's neck as her fingers run through her wetness, a sign that the night's activities aren't ending anytime soon.

* * *

The sound of typing on a keyboard wakes the brunette up, and ask she rolls closer into the blonde, her head hands in her lap, being lightly hit by her elbow on occasion, which, she assumes, is because she's busy typing.

"Pipes - what're you doing."

"Oh just some online shopping. I need your opinion on one item though," the blonde nonchalantly states as Alex rolls back over to grab her glasses.

Returning to the screen now wearing her glasses, Alex watches Piper change the tab from a black dress to something that causes her eyes to shoot wide open, her just-having-woken-up fatigue completely forgotten about.

The screen shows a row of strap ons, something Piper had confessed again to wanting to use last night in a later round of sex as their ever-growing passion reached new heights.

"I didn't know if you already had one we could use?" the blonde indirectly questions.

"We can get a new one. I have one that I haven't used it in a long time, but I don't want to use something I've used with other people before."

Touched, yet jealous, by Alex's admission, the blonde smiles and goes on to show her girlfriend some of the ones that appealed to her, pointing out their pros and cons.

Alex, having never shopped so clinically for a sex toy with anyone - let alone a significant other - before, finds herself smiling, amused by how Piper's need to always be organised shows even when she's debating on which strap on is the best to purchase.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you for all your kind comments - here's the biggest chapter yet.**

 **One guest asked for jealous Alex, so here she is...!**

 **What's a story without at least _some_ drama?**

* * *

Sales at PoPi have been booming since their opening roughly 7 months ago, and as the demand for their produce increases, Piper and Polly have been spending a large majority of their time brainstorming their new winter collection. The pair have been working overtime throughout the week, despite employing some new Christmas temps to work on shop floor sales, meaning that in the process of having 'downtime' at the weekend when they aren't working, they spend most of their free time sleeping and/or catching up on the essential tasks they'd managed to neglect throughout the week.

Business at the gym across the street is also booming, and with the new year approaching, the brunette and her best friend have been looking into ways in which they can keep up their number of secured a deal with a well-known local fitness clothing line, their plans to advertise are sponsored and therefore funded.

As the blonde and the brunette have both been occupied with work, the pair have had hardly any time together for themselves - the most having been the last night they stayed together several weeks prior when they first declared their love for one another. Of course the brunette's schedule is a lot more flexible compared to her girlfriends, but being that the blonde has been very much focused on the expansion of PoPi's winter collection, Alex has been taking on more work to keep herself busy.

Although both enterprises will be closing at the end of the week for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, PoPi will still be accepting online orders on specific products, meaning they need to have enough stock labelled for distribution upon their post-Christmas return.

* * *

"So we're definitely set? I'm choosing gingerbread and you're choosing marzipan," Polly seeks confirmation, taking her eyes away from the clipboard in front of her and setting them on her blonde best friend sitting opposite at her desk, wanting to go home being that it's 8pm. The blonde, she identifies, looks tired; the bags under her eyes don't flatter her youthful age, nor does her teary eyes due to yawning so frequently.

"Yeah, Pol," Piper replies through another yawn, "I think we're finally good. All the other flavours are made and labelled, so we've just got these last two to make by Friday, which we can get through easily."

Smiling at her best friend, Polly goes on to ask what's been playing on her mind since they finished brainstorming about 20 minutes before: "Why so adamant on marzipan? I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it, but it's just not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Christmas."

"I've grown to love it recently. It's a comforting scent."

"Marzipan reminds you of comfort? That's pretty weird, Pipes," Polly says through a laugh before adding: "What's next - you want to make a watermelon flavour for our Valentines collection because its what Alex smells like?"

Piper's cheeks immediately turn a dark shade of pink as she fiddles with the ends of her hair, and being that the brunette knows her best friend like the back of her hand, she has her earlier question answered.

"Or not because you've already crossed that one off the list," Polly goes on to say, pleased with herself. "Does Alex really smell like marzipan?" she continues, lowering the volume of her voice as she leans forward in her chair, putting the clipboard down on the desk.

"I didn't say that."

"You don't have to - I can tell when you're hiding something. Spill."

"She doesn't _fully_ smell like marzipan."

"Pipes, I told you how Pete likes to straighten his chest hair."

"Well this is more… private."

"I didn't realise vaginas can smell like that!" Polly shouts with a surprised expression, thinking that's what Piper was referring to by 'private'.

"No, Polly. I'm not talking about Alex's vagina," the blonde replies, grabbing a hairband to tie her hair up into a messy bun. "How would you even know what other vaginas smell like? I'm the gayer one."

"No - you _are_ the gay one, Piper," Polly comments, growing agitated by her best friend's reluctance. "Seriously, what is it?"

"Don't judge me, but it's her nipples. They smell like marzipan."

"So you chose to make a marzipan flavoured soap because it reminds you of comfort, which happens to be a euphemism for Alex's nipples?!"

"Well I wouldn't put it like that on the packaging, but yeah."

The two friends sit in silence before they erupt into laughter, amused by their topic of conversation.

"I can't wait to tell her the inspiration behind that one," Polly says, getting up from her chair.

"No, Polly, you can't. She'd never stop giving me shit for it."

"Hmm, let's just hope she doesn't ask about what you've been doing all day. Speaking of the devil," Polly adds, looking out the window situated behind the blonde's office chair. "Your tall glass of water seems to be ready, so I guess that's my cue to leave. See you tomorrow, lesbian."

"Bye, Pol," Piper replies, turning in her chair to see the view for herself. Watching her, as Polly put it, tall glass of water on the street locking up her business, Piper puts her things away and exits her office to do the same, suddenly feeling rather dehydrated.

Having locked the store, the blonde sees her girlfriend standing outside, phone in hand, assuming she's writing a text.

"What're you doing here?" Piper asks, moving to hug her girlfriend.

"I was just about to text you," Alex says, looking up from her phone and moving her arms to accept the hug. "I wanted to see if you'd let me walk you home. It's been a while since we last did that."

"I'd love that," Piper smiles sincerely at her girlfriend, kissing her on the lips as they join hands to walk towards the blonde's apartment. Conversation flows about the equally stressful last few weeks they've both had, while silently revelling in one another's company.

By the time they reach the blonde's apartment, Piper doesn't want Alex to go home - not realising how much she's been craving her company over the past few - particularly stressful - evenings.

"Stay with me tonight," Piper says, grabbing both of her girlfriend's hands as she stands by the elevator in her apartment building's lobby. "Please."

"Are you sure? I know you're tired, Pipes."

"I'm sure. I want to be with you."

"I can stay, but I'll need to borrow some clothes to sleep in."

"Or you could just sleep naked...?" Piper says flirtatiously.

"While I would love that, I don't think you or your bed sheets would appreciate it if mother nature had her way during the night."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so if you were planning on having a sex marathon tonight, this isn't the best of occasions," Alex adds, kissing Piper on the cheek as the elevator opens, pulling them both inside.

"That's fine - we've lasted this long already, and, fortunately for you, I was planning on getting some sleep this evening."

"So dinner then sleep?"

"Great minds think alike," the blonde concludes, stepping out of the open elevator as it reaches her floor, fishing out the keys to enter her home.

* * *

"So how are you gonna find a new model?" Piper asks from her position in bed, currently Alex's little spoon.

"I've been looking all week, but no one wants to work just after Christmas," Alex replies, sounding deflated. She's been working on the advertisements for the gym's new year deals, but being that the fitness model they had booked cancelled last minute, her mind's been plagued with trying to find a replacement - a task that's easier said than done.

"Well I can help if you want," Piper says nonchalantly, turning over to face her girlfriend. "I helped model for Polly when she went through her 'I want to be a photographer' phase in college."

"Pipes, you don't have to do that."

"I want to. Think of it as an early birthday present," the blonde remarks as it's the brunette's birthday on December 29th, before moving forwards to kiss Alex on the lips.

"Mmm don't remind me. I'm getting old."

"Turning 30 is hardly old, Al."

"Says you. You're turning 27."

"Don't project your ageism onto me," Piper retorts, smiling at her girlfriend's dramatics as they fall into a peaceful silence.

"So you're sure you're okay with helping me out?" Alex asks, stroking Piper's hip bone under her oversized t-shirt.

"Of course I am, Al. I wouldn't have offered otherwise."

"Thank you. I love you, Pipes," Alex adds, feeling fortunate to have met the woman before her.

"While I love you back, you really need to move your hand because I'll be wanting more than sleep at this rate," the blonde says, motioning towards Alex's hand that's still innocently stroking the skin of her hip.

"Sorry." Alex removes her hand. "What time are you in tomorrow?"

"9. You?"

"9:30."

"Hmmm I wish we could just stay here all day tomorrow."

"Well we do have Christmas together."

"Can't wait," the blonde says through a smile, happy the pair will eventually be able to spend some time together.

"This'll be my first Christmas without my mom," Alex adds with a nostalgic tone. This year, her mom had planned to spend Christmas with her own set of friends, as going away for a short trip over Christmas had always been something they'd wanted to do together.

"I'm sure she'll have fun. Just think, it'll be our first Christmas together."

"The first of many."

"You sound overly confident there, Al."

"Mmm, I have pretty good judgement."

"That's not the only good thing you have," Piper says, putting her leg over Alex's hip, leaning over to kiss her neck.

"I can show you some good things right now, but it'll have to be one-sided."

"It's okay. I can wait. We should probably sleep anyway."

"If you insist," Alex says while moving to kiss her girlfriend.

"Night, Al," Piper turns over as Alex shuffles to spoon the blonde.

"Night babe."

* * *

Christmas passes by in a flash, and throughout the holiday, the pair were inseparable, spending every living moment together. They spent Christmas day with Nicky, Lorna, Suzanne and Taystee, and then spent Boxing Day with Piper's family in Connecticut.

It's now the day after Boxing Day, and the pair are at Piper's apartment. Both of their businesses are re-opening, and being that Piper volunteered to help Alex with her fitness modelling, Polly allowed her to have the day off to work with her girlfriend. Alex, standing in the door frame of Piper's bedroom in her work clothes, is amusingly watching her girlfriend fuss over packing everything she needs to bring with her, and as she picks up her jacket, a large, wrapped up present falls onto the floor.

"Shit," Piper shouts, picking up the package and turning away from Alex. "You didn't see that."

"I didn't see what? The present falling onto the floor or you scrambling to pick up the present from the floor?"

" _Motherfucker_ ," Piper mumbles under her breath, considering what she should do, having never expected to be in this situation. "I was going to give this to you for your birthday, but consider it a late Christmas present."

"Pipes," Alex starts through a laugh, "I can wait two days."

"Well you know about it now," Piper says, handing the present over to her girlfriend.

Despite feeling slightly bad for the blonde, Alex starts to open the present, and is eventually faced with a beige cardboard box having removed the wrapping paper. Lifting the lid of the box, inside is another box, something that confuses her, as she looks up at her girlfriend to confirm that she's meant to continue.

"Open it," Piper says, smiling at Alex's confusion.

The brunette continues and takes out the plain, white box from inside it's cardboard outing, putting that on the bed as she goes to pull at the edge of the white one. Opening the lid, Alex bursts into laughter, looking up at the blonde in front of her.

"Really?"

"Do you like it? It's the one we agreed upon."

Looking down at the box again, the brunette pulls out its contents, and now in her hand is a nude coloured strap on - indeed the one they had agreed upon over a month ago.

"Pipes, this is… you were planning to give me a strap on for my birthday?" she laughs, surprised by what her girlfriend had planned.

"I thought we could use it on your birthday."

"I'd love to," Alex says, putting the package down on the bed, moving over to kiss her girlfriend, "and I love you."

"I love you too, Al," Piper replies, pulling Alex back into another kiss, lining her tongue along her lower lip.

"Hmm, Pipes, we have to go," Alex mumbles, trying to pull away from the blonde.

"Just a little longer," Piper protests, putting her hands on the brunette's ass, refusing to break the kiss.

"Piper."

After hearing her girlfriend's stern tone, the blonde pulls away, groaning.

"Let's go before you throw yourself at me like the last time I was late to work and missed my morning appointment because of you."

"Fuck you."

"I didn't remember you being a top?" Alex snaps back wittily, laughing as her girlfriend storms out the room, heading to the front door.

* * *

"Okay, Piper, could you lower the hand that's on your hip slightly?" the photographer asks.

"Like this?" the blonde responds, lowering her hand as instructed.

"No. Here - a little more like this," the photographer says, getting up from the chair she was seated on to approach Piper. Gently gripping her wrist, she lower's Piper's hand, letting her fingers linger for a second longer than necessary, before going back to her chair. "That's better."

The blonde, although oblivious to the photographer's flirting due to focusing on what she's being instructed to do, has been working for the last hour on promotional pictures. Dressed in a sports v-neck, leggings, and running shoes - all from the brand that's sponsoring the advertisements, it's hard to not see her beauty. Alex, while unable to take her eyes off her girlfriend, has been in and out of watching the pictures being taken all morning, being that she herself still has appointments with clients; Nicky and Lorna take it in turns to observe what's going on, and so far, nothing has gone drastically wrong.

"Hey, Nic, how's it going?" Alex asks, returning from her last morning session.

"Good I think. I'm going for lunch. This is taking too fucking long." Without waiting for a reply, the wild-haired woman leaves the room, leaving Alex to observe from afar.

From where she's standing, even Alex can see that the photographer is an attractive woman, but her sights are only set on the woman modelling: her girlfriend. The photographer is shorter than herself and, she guesses, Piper too, and her blonde hair sports a pixie style, something that - she has to admit - suits her. She's wearing blue jeans with a black t-shirt, showing some tattoos down her arms. Unlike her own, they're spaced out and look as though she got them done either when drunk or in the spur of the moment, perhaps a dare, she ponders.

After watching the photographer direct Piper into a new position, whereby she's lowered onto the floor, Alex becomes suspicious of her motives. Her hands seem to be lingering in places that don't seem required, her eyes seem to spend longer ogling her girlfriend rather than taking pictures, and what she says next, really turns her head.

"Okay, Piper, I think for this one that you should remove your top. We need to have ones of you in a sports bra to show off our products."

Knowing that the photographer works for the company sponsoring the advertising, Piper obliges and removes her shirt, revealing a pink sports bra that accentuates her toned torso.

Alex, however, walks closer to where the two in front of her are situated and leans against the wall, crossing her arms. She's not annoyed at her girlfriend - she's just doing what she's told from a professional. Well, the term 'professional' is used loosely in this instance, as, now she's closer, Alex can identify that the photographer is checking out the woman in front of the camera. Not just any woman, but her woman. _This motherfucker_ , Alex thinks to herself, trying hard not to butt in.

Several more pictures are taken before Nicky returns from lunch, _how long have I been watching?_ , Alex wonders.

"Hey, Vause, you're off duty now. I checked your schedule and you seem pretty booked today. You coming to the bar later? Blondie too?"

"Yeah, should be," Alex says, turning to look over one last time at Piper who was now looking straight at her. Her girlfriend delivers a small wave while smiling, something that Alex doesn't return as she turns back around to leave the room.

Throughout the rest of the day, as Nicky had pointed out, Alex was very busy. She was in higher demand, being that people quickly wanted to burn off their Christmas eating habits, and this added to her frustrations. Other models had quickly come and gone for small shoots they were booked for, but Piper was still busy come 5pm, and when she had managed to quickly check-in between appointments, Alex rarely acknowledged her girlfriend, instead keeping the photographer, who she later learned was called Eden, in check.

After finishing her last appointment, Alex storms into her office, pleased the day's finished, and after logging into her computer and typing up a review of her last session, along with some exercises to email over to her client, Nicky joins her, smirking as she lies down on her sofa at the side of the room.

"So this is where you're hiding."

"Nic, I'm busy. What do you want?"

"Jesus, what's with you? You've been acting pissy all day. Is it because blondie hasn't been showing you any attention?"

"Of course it isn't, dumbass. She's been busy too," Alex replies, continuing with her email.

"She seemed to work well with the hot photographer," Nicky nonchalantly says, testing the waters, and her suspicions are soon confirmed when Alex's aggressive typing stops.

"What, the one that's been trying to get into her pants all day?"

"I knew it!" Nicky shouts, sitting up on the sofa. "You're jealous!"

"Am not."

"You so fucking are, Vause. Anyone can see if from a mile away."

"Anyone can see what from a mile away?" comes a new voice from the door, one which Alex immediately recognises as belonging to her girlfriend.

"Oh nothing. Nicky was just leaving," Alex says, avoiding Piper's gaze.

"We'll talk later, Vause," Nicky says, winking at her best friend as she stands up. "I'll see you at the bar, blondie," she concludes, brushing past the blonde and leaving the office.

"Al, are you okay?" Piper asks, walking into the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Oh I just thought you were ignoring me. I tried looking for you earlier…" Piper says self-consciously, leaving Alex to curse herself, annoyed that she's letting her jealousy get the better of her.

"No, I've just been busy today. Tired."

"We don't have to go out if you don't want to, Alex. I'm happy wherever you are," Piper comments, moving around to sit between Alex's legs on the desk in front of her. "I've missed you today," Piper says, pulling Alex into a kiss by her polo top. Feeling the kiss not being fully reciprocated, the blonde pulls back, still worried about Alex's behaviour.

"Are you sure you're okay, Al?"

Before Alex gets the chance to make up a bullshit excuse, she doesn't have to, as, by the door of her office, stands the last person she wants to see: Piper's obsessive number one fan; the hired fitness photographer.

"Ah Piper, there you are!" the woman says, leaning against the door frame. "I was wondering if you're going to this bar place? I was asked by one of the workers earlier if I wanted to go, but I'm not from around here, so have no idea where it is."

"Oh yeah, we hadn't decided yet," Piper says, turning back to face Alex to seek confirmation.

"You can go," Alex says with a monotone intonation, "have fun."

"Al-"

"Listen, I still have a lot to do around here, so I can meet you there later, okay?" Alex whispers before upping the volume of her voice, directing it to the woman at the door. "Piper can show you where it is. She was just leaving anyway." Unsure as to why she made the last comment, Alex avoids the hurt expression on her girlfriend's face, something she wants to avoid witnessing.

"Alex, I want to be there with you," she quietly whispers to her girlfriend. "We said we'd go toge-"

"Great, thanks Piper," the blonde sitting on the desk is interrupted by the loud woman at the door.

After realising she isn't getting any recognition from the brunette, who turned back to face her computer screen, Piper gets off the desk, knocking over a few papers in the process, and leaves the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Alex, now on her own, rests her elbows on the desk, head in hands, immediately regretting how she just treated her girlfriend.

* * *

2 hours later, Alex rocks up at the bar, planning on speaking to her girlfriend to clear the air, well, that was before she knew what she was about to walk into.

Sitting at their normal booth is Piper and the photographer, Eden, and having scanned the room, she sees Nicky and Lorna are caught up in a very long queue at the even busier bar.

The two blonde women are sitting on the same side of the booth, and Alex can already hear the sound of Piper's laughter from where she's standing, something that adds to her irritation. The photographer, she sees, has her arm on the back of the leather booth - not touching Piper, but her intentions to eventually do so are evidently clear.

Feeling her earlier rage return, Alex walks over to the booth, acquiring an empty chair and dragging it over on her way, and sits at the end of the table, clearing her throat as she does so.

"I didn't think you were coming," Piper says, obviously agitated by Alex's presence.

"Surprise!" Alex says sarcastically, before turning to the other blonde.

"So, Eden, how did today go? Sorry I couldn't really check in - you two seemed busy and I still had clients to deal with."

"No worries, Alex! It went really well, thanks. Piper's a natural. I think we work really well together; I'm definitely looking into using her another time," Eden replies, placing her hand on Piper's shoulder.

Seeing that catches Alex's eye and she feels a pang of jealousy shoot through her. " _I bet you are_ ," she sarcastically replies, flicking her eyes back up while faking a smile at the woman.

Piper, who still is angry with Alex, now has a feeling as to why Alex was acting the way she was: she was jealous. While that thought made her heart flutter and lower abdomen clench, she wanted Alex to know what she did earlier wasn't fair - they're supposed to be a team.

As Nicky and Lorna return with the drinks, the wild-haired woman gives Alex a knowing smirk before shouting, "Okay, ladies, let's play Never Have I Ever. You drink if the statement applies to you."

"Great idea!" Piper says, shuffling closer to the table to grab her drink.

"Okay, I'll start: never have I ever slept with a woman," Nicky says, laughing as they all drink.

Alex, however, has her eyes glued on Eden sitting on the left hand side of the table, who obviously wasn't watching what everyone else did, instead smiling at the fact that Piper took a drink, as if you'd have a fucking chance, Alex thinks.

"Never have I ever slept with someone after a first date," Lorna states, to which Eden, Piper and Nicky drink.

"Never have I ever slept with a woman on the first day I met them," Eden contributes, statement obviously aimed at Piper, to which Alex, Nicky and Eden all drink. Trying to ignore the distressed look that her drinking provoked out of Piper, Alex avoids her gaze.

"Never have I ever been in love," Piper says, looking directly at her girlfriend, who, much to her surprise, also turns to face her, and they both stare at one another as they drink, along with Nicky and Lorna.

"Never have I ever cheated on a partner," Alex asks, keeping her eyes set on Piper. Eden is the only one that drinks, and although both Alex and Piper are secretly elated that neither drank, Piper is now very pissed off with her girlfriend and the sly dig her statement was suggesting.

The group continue playing, and it's now pretty evident to Nicky and Lorna that Alex and Piper are using the game to one-up on one another.

"Never have I ever had a threesome," Nicky says, waiting to see what this curveball will throw into the mix, knowing that Alex has.

True to herself, Alex takes a sip of her drink, and being that she was the only person at the table to do so, all eyes are on her.

"You had a threesome?!" Piper asks, eyes wide.

"It was a long time ago, Pipes," Alex says, not wanting her girlfriend to think the worst of her.

Piper, on the other hand, doesn't know how to feel. She went from feeling a thrill at Alex's evident jealousy to feeling slightly uncomfortable in this setting, just wanting to talk the situation out with Alex alone.

"Never have I ever faked an orgasm," Lorna added, to which only Alex and Piper drank, causing both of them to look at each other incredulously.

"You faked an orgasm with me?!" Piper shouts. "You know how much this means to me," she continues, waving her index finger between them.

"Pipes, of course not with you," Alex says sincerely, wanting this game to end before it gets out of hand.

"Never have I ever fucked someone with a strap on," Eden asks, to which everyone except Piper drinks as her eyes meet Alex's, both sharing a glimmer of excitement knowing it's something they'd spoken about.

"Never have I ever been jealous in public," Piper says, looking at Alex, receiving laughs from both Nicky and Lorna as Alex takes a large gulp, trying to hide the grin aimed at her brunette goes on to raise her eyebrow at Piper, expecting her to also drink, especially with some of her reactions in tonight's game, to which the blonde takes a sip.

A waiter comes over, one which Nicky knows as one of her clients, and interrupts the flow of the game. Piper takes this opportunity to grab Alex's hand under the table, squeezing it lightly. "Can we go talk outside?" the blonde asks, to which Alex just nods.

As the blonde goes to stand up, Eden stops her, placing a hand on her inner thigh to prevent her from leaving the table. She leans in to whisper in Piper's ear, not realising that Alex can hear them from where she's now stood up.

"You have a free pass into the Garden of Eden anytime. Come on, Piper, we're good together. You won't have to fake any orgasms with me."

Piper moves away from the woman and starts to stand up, but Alex, having reached the climax of her anger, starts the game again, noticing Nicky was done talking to the waiter.

"Never have I ever punched someone for trying to get into your girlfriend's pants."

Everyone around the table is now watching as no one drinks, before Alex takes a sip from her cup, finishing its contents, and moving around Piper's half-standing body. Winding back her right arm, she punches the photographer directly on the nose, causing her to let out a painful scream, while she uses her hands to try and stop the bleeding. Picking up Piper's drink, Alex downs the rest of its contents before grabbing the blonde's hand, dragging her to her feet and towards the bathrooms, not before yelling in Eden's blood smeared face, "fuck you for trying to fuck my girlfriend right in fucking front of me."

Bursting into the cubicle and locking the door, Alex slams Piper into the wall, instantly connecting their lips in a rough kiss. Both women are feeling turned on from the recent turn of events, but Alex knows better than to completely give in. Piper had played her, so she was going to do the exact same.

"Alex, that was so fucking hot. Fuck me. Right here. Now," Piper pants out, crouching down to unbutton her jeans, pulling them and her panties down to her knees.

"Oh so now you want me?" Alex asks with a husky voice.

"Alex I always want you."

"Yeah because not telling that slut that you're mine and letting her flirt and touch you all over screams that you want me."

"I thought she knew, Alex! I told her I was seeing 'Alex' earlier in the day - I thought she knew that was you; I thought you'd already told her anyway. Oh and bragging about the kinky sex and threesomes you've had with other people is supposed to make us even? Make me feel worthless?" Piper shouts, trying to defend herself.

"Turn around."

"What?"

"Fucking turn around, Piper," Alex demands, grabbing Piper's shoulders to turn her around, pushing her front into the cubicle wall, to which elicits a moan from the blonde.

"You either shut the fuck up and let me fuck you, or you can leave now and let your new admirer do it," Alex seethes through gritted teeth, pressing her front into Piper's back while whispering in her ear.

Running her hand through Piper's wetness, Alex refuses to give in. She bites down on the blonde's neck, making sure to leave several marks, and as she unexpectedly plunges three fingers into her girlfriend, Piper's head shoots back in pleasure.

"Right there, Al. Harder."

"Shut up," Alex says, refusing to comply.

"Ugh, Al please, just go faster. Harder. Please. I need to come."

"You can always fake it," Alex adds with a smartass tone, and before the blonde can plead again, the brunette removes her fingers.

"Alex, what're you doing? I'm close," Piper asks, turning around.

"I told you to shut up."

"What the fuck, Al. I didn't do anything wrong! only have eyes for you. I love _you_."

"This is bullshit," Alex says, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, I… I just need a minute," she adds, quickly unlocking the stall door, exiting the toilets and then the building.

"Alex," Piper shouts to her girlfriend as she runs after her down the street. "Alex you need to hear me out."

"What, Piper? Now you care about how I feel? About watching almost everyone that has eyes drool over you and you not doing a single thing about it. Do you know how that shit messes with me?"

"Al," Piper pleads with tears in her eyes, " I _need_ you to listen to me. Things were going so well."

"Maybe you should have thought harder about that then," Alex replies, tears welling up in her own eyes, getting her car keys out her pocket.

"Al, you can't drive. You've drank too much."

"You can't tell me what to do, Piper."

"No, I can't, but I am because I love you, Alex."

Hearing Piper's admission of love is something, for Alex, that will never grow old. She too loves the woman before her, and would never forgive herself if something so petty broke them.

"Come on," Alex says through a sigh, waving her hand as she faces the blonde. "It's late. You can stay on the couch. This doesn't mean this is over, okay? We're not over. I just need to cool down."

"Okay," Piper says through a smile, "I think we could both use a cool down," in more ways than one, she thinks to herself, while walking beside her girlfriend in silence as they head to her apartment.


	19. Chapter 19

**For the guest asking, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day that's celebrated in some parts of the world.**

 **I loved your suggestions, but had this mostly written already - I'll keep them in mind for future chapters!**

* * *

"So I guess this is where I'm staying," Piper breaks the silence, running her hand along the back of the sofa, turning around to face Alex who was previously positioned behind her.

"Pipes-"

"It's what you wanted, Alex, and considering I _apparently_ don't want you, I'll show you some respect and do what _you_ want from me."

"Piper - you can sleep in my bed with me. Or at least sleep in there and let me stay out here."

Turning back around, the blonde walks to the other side of the sofa, grabbing the blanket Alex keeps in large a side drawer. "Do you have a pillow I can use?"

"Yeah, I'll umm… go grab one," the brunette replies anxiously, feeling as though she's treading on eggshells around her girlfriend.

Walking to her room, Alex grabs one of the pillows from her double bed, along with an oversized t-shirt, and returns to the living room. Piper now lies under the blanket on the sofa, leaning against the armrest, attempting to offer Alex a small smile as she returns.

"I bought you a shirt too," Alex says, handing the items over to the blonde, careful not to step on the pile of Piper's clothing that already rests on the floor.

"Thanks," the blonde responds, putting the pillow behind her head and putting the top on, taking off and placing her bra onto the floor when finished, leaving her wrapped up in the blanket wearing Alex's t-shirt along with her own underwear.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm good. I guess this is goodnight then?"

"I guess it is," Alex says, fiddling with her glasses - a nervous trait that Piper picks up on, but chooses not to over-analyse. "Goodnight," the brunette goes on to add, leaning down to kiss Piper, whereby, due to the blonde turning her head, her lips land on her cheek.

20 minutes later, having gotten herself ready for bed - dressed in a t-shirt and boyshorts, Alex lies in bed facing the ceiling. Thinking about the day's events, she can't help but feel guilty for her childish actions. She knows Piper didn't do anything wrong, and the majority of her regrets revolves around what she said to the blonde when they were arguing in the street.

 _"Now you care about how I feel? About watching almost everyone that has eyes drool over you and you not doing a single thing about it."_

Of course the brunette knows how much the blonde cares about her and about what she feels, otherwise they wouldn't take it in turns to walk each other home from work; she wouldn't, on occasion, bring Alex lunch when she's particularly busy and make her guess what the filling of her sandwich consists of; she wouldn't tell her that she loves her whenever she has the opportunity, especially when they're parting ways or are on the phone together.

The fact that Alex claimed the blonde wouldn't do a single thing about people showing an interest in her is also not true. She thinks back to the time Piper was jealous when her childhood friend tried to flirt with her, the drunken video Cal sent her of the blonde bragging about their relationship, the times when the blonde would hold her hand in public to show everyone who she belongs to. At the time, the brunette hadn't noticed the signs of her girlfriend trying to avoid the photographer throughout the day. The blonde, whenever she had the chance, would go looking for Alex, even if that just resulted in sharing a short hello or a smile from afar, and she always maintained a safe distance between herself and the woman sitting next to her in the bar despite Alex's worries.

The brunette knows she's in the wrong blaming her girlfriend for the actions of someone else, and to top if all off, she know's Piper's pissed with her after what happened in the bathroom. Alex knows she was being selfish for leaving their business unfinished, and adds that to the growing pile of regrets today's events have conjured.

Sighing to herself, knowing she won't be able to sleep with all of the tension between Piper and herself, Alex grabs her glasses from the nightstand and gets up out the bed, heading for the living room.

All of the lights are off, yet the brunette can see Piper's blonde hair shining due to the reflection of the street lights through the gap in the blinds. Her body is turned into the back of the sofa with the blanket pulled up to her neck, and from where she's standing, the brunette can see the blonde's shoulder's moving slightly, a sign that she's either breathing heavily in her sleep, or she's crying.

Moving quietly to the sofa, the brunette pulls back the blanket and slips underneath, settling in behind her girlfriend while wrapping her right arm around her stomach. Alex buries her face into the blonde's hair, smelling the scent of her coconut shampoo, eventually nestling into the side of her neck.

"I'm sorry," Alex says, knowing her girlfriend is still awake. "I was jealous and took it out on you. I was being unfair."

After not receiving a verbal response from the blonde, yet being able to feel her body tremble against her front - a sign that she was indeed upset, Alex continues, wanting to express her guilt. "Those things I said I…" she pauses, not wanting to fuck this up as well. "I was scared. I'm not used to this: commitment, and don't get me wrong, I only have eyes for you, but I was.. It's just… what if I'm doing this all wrong?" Alex asks, her voice a low whisper - a representation of her current state of vulnerability. "I've been so busy doing my own thing that sometimes I wonder if I'm enough for you," the brunette concludes, glad the blonde is facing away from her, unable to see her as she opens up, but that feeling soon goes away as Piper turns in Alex's arms, revealing her tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes.

"Alex, you know you're more than enough for me," Piper says, sniffing, causing the brunette to reach out and wipe the tears from Piper's cheeks with the pad of her thumb. "I won't lie and say that what you said didn't hurt, but I can assure you that you're not doing this wrong. I love the time we spend together Alex. I don't want to play guess the sandwich filling with anyone else; I don't want to share walks home with anyone else, and I certainly don't want to enter a relationship with anyone else, ever."

Surprised by Piper's final comment, Alex shuffles slightly, placing her hand on the side of Piper's neck. "Ever?"

"Ever, Alex. In case you haven't realised, I'm not planning on going anywhere. Are you?"

"No, I'm not," Alex replies, trying to suppress a grin.

"Then let's agree to not let our jealousy get in the way of this, and to not blame each other for things that are out of our control. I spent the entire day looking for you whenever I had a spare moment, Al. _You_. I don't know how many more times I need to reassure you, but I fucking love you, Alex Vause, and if you doubt that once more, then you'll be the one with a bloody nose," Piper states, smiling at her girlfriend who dips her head into her own chest, trying to hide the visual effect Piper's admission had on her.

"I love you too, Pipes," Alex says, looking back up at her girlfriend. "I'm sorry I was such a dick.

"Yeah, you were being a dick," Piper responds, reaching up with her left hand to hold Alex's jaw, "but the punch was flattering."

"I thought you'd like that."

"I did," Piper confirms as silence falls upon them while they stare into one another's eyes.

Reaching forwards, Alex places a soft kiss on Piper's lips, which is quickly reciprocated; before the kiss can turn too passionate, Alex breaks away, with one more topic in mind she feels she needed to touch upon.

"Pipes, in the bathroom, I shouldn't have left you hanging. I was being stupid. Do you umm... still want me to take care of you?"

Grabbing Alex's hand that was resting on her jaw, Piper kisses her knuckles, offering a smirk. "While I was pissed about it, possessive Alex was hot. I'd like to see her again sometime, but under less... tense circumstances."

"Sure," Alex gives a closed-lip smile. "So do you want me to… you know?"

Pulling Alex closer by the t-shirt, Piper joins their lips into a passionate kiss, choosing to answer with actions rather than words. With the brunette's hand still in hers, and blonde directs Alex's hand down her body, guiding it into her underwear. Letting go of her girlfriend's hand, Piper moves to steady herself on Alex's shoulder as dexterous fingers run through her wet folds. As the brunette pushes two fingers into her centre, the blonde breaks away from the kiss, opening her mouth against Alex's, letting out a breathy moan into her counterpart's mouth.

* * *

Two days later, the pair are at Alex's apartment getting ready for a romantic meal Piper had organised for her birthday. Alex is sitting on the bed, FaceTiming her mother, while Piper is in the shower.

"Mom, how many times do I have to tell you that it's okay that you aren't here! Knowing you're having a good time with your friends is better than any present you could have given me," Alex says to her mother, who, for the third time, apologises that she's away for her daughter's birthday.

"I know, I know, but my baby girl's turning 30!" Diane says down the screen, giving a toothy smile to her daughter as her face gets closer, an indication that she moved her device closer to her face when talking.

"Thanks for reminding me," Alex rolls her eyes.

"I can see you, you know."

"Yeah, that was the point, Mom," Alex laughs, entertained by her mother's attempt at using technology.

"So where are you two off to this evening?"

"I don't really know. Piper won't tell me."

"And where is Piper?" Diane asks; Alex knows where this is going.

"She's in the shower. Don't even think about asking me when you'll get to meet her. When you're back, I'll bring her over, I promise."

"You better because I want to give you your present in person with her there."

"Mom, you don't have to buy me anything."

"Alex Pearl Vause, just be grateful for once. It's my turn to spoil you. Now let me."

"Wow, okay, Mom, try not to collapse," Alex laughs at her mother's outburst.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opens, and unaware that Alex is FaceTiming her mother, Piper walks out in nothing but her black laced bra and matching thong.

"Al, I can't decide what colour to wear: black," she says, holding up a short, low-cut, black dress, "or red," she adds, again holding up a similar looking dress.

Turning around to face her girlfriend, Alex goes wide-eyed at the sight. Her girlfriend is as beautiful as ever, and even though they have a dinner reservation, at the minute she'd much prefer to spend her evening with Piper in her current state of dress underneath her.

"You must be Piper?" a voice comes from Alex's phone, startling both women.

"Al, who is that?" Piper whisper-shouts, assuming it's a phone call on speaker.

As Alex goes to reply, she's cut off: "I'm Alex's mom, honey, but you can call me Diane."

At the introduction, Piper's heart drops; this is not how she wanted to make her impression on Alex's mom: through a telephone.

"Diane - I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally talk to you."

"I was just telling Alex that you two are coming to visit me when I'm home. It's about time we met."

"I'd love that, Diane."

The conversation between Alex and Diane continues briefly about how her trip is going, while Piper applies body butter to her legs in the background, before Diane starts to wrap up the call. "I'll let you both continue getting ready. Have a wonderful evening."

"Thanks, Mom," Alex says into the phone.

"Oh, and Piper," Diane says, causing the blonde to look over towards the device in Alex's hand, "I vote for the red one."

Mortified that she didn't realise Alex was on FaceTime with Diane, Piper tries to cover her body, shouting a thank you, before running into the bathroom, embarrassed that her girlfriend's mother had just seen her for the first time in nothing but a skimpy underwear set.

"Really?" Alex asks her mom, unamused.

"Well you didn't answer her. Just think of it as me helping you out, as you'll be the one taking it off," Diane says laughing, followed by hanging up the FaceTime call as soon as she starts to hear Alex shouting 'mom'.

* * *

"This is nice," Alex states, looking around as the pair are seated in a French Michelin Star restaurant - one Piper had researched thoroughly and booked well in advance.

"Mmm it is," Piper replies, sipping her glass of wine as the pair wait for their desserts to arrive. "I wasn't expecting a table this secluded, but I'm not arguing."

They're seated in the corner of the restaurant with no other surrounding tables or customers; although Piper mentioned her reservation was for a 30th birthday, she never expected this kind of service.

"Neither am I if it means I can do this," Alex says, dragging her foot up Piper's toned calf muscle that's accentuated by her stiletto heels.

"Al, our dessert hasn't even come yet."

"We can have dessert at home, and it will be _coming_ ," Alex says flirtatiously.

"Clever one, babe."

"Yeah, I thought so too," Alex replies, grabbing her own glass of wine, smiling and thanking the waiter as he brings over their food.

Piper, who bites into her cheesecake, lets out a throaty moan when she first tastes her food, unaware of the effect she's having on her girlfriend. "Mmm this is so good. Try some," the blonde says, holding out her cake-filled spoon.

Leaning over, Alex's mouth wraps around Piper's spoon, and she slowly slides the cheesecake into her mouth, making sure to keep eye contact with the blonde the entire time.

"Ughh," Alex groans out, "I see what you mean."

Alex then goes to take a bite from her own dessert: a form of chocolate cake, and repeats her dramatic groaning. "You want some, Pipes?" she asks, holding out a chunk of cake on her fork.

Piper, meanwhile, stares at her girlfriend, biting her lower lip, as, unknowingly to Alex, she squeezes her thighs together under the table.

"You okay?" Alex asks, pleased her plan's working.

Without replying, Piper picks up the spare fork from the table, lowers her hand under the cloth, and drops it onto the floor.

"Oops? Al can you get that for me please? I think it landed closer to you," the blonde asks, batting her eyelashes.

"Pipes, I saw you drop it on purpose. I know I'm practically blind without my glasses, but I'm wearing contacts."

And didn't the blonde already know. She'd seen Alex many a time without her glasses, but never when formally dressed to go out, which alone had her clenching her thighs throughout dinner.

Alex pushes her chair back slightly and crouches down under the long tablecloth. Seeing the fork is actually closer to Piper's feet, she shuffles further under the table and reaches to grab the item, but her movement is stopped by Piper's hand. The hand grabs Alex's chin, directing her face upwards, so that it's facing the blonde's body. As Alex eyes come in line with Piper's thighs, the blonde opens her legs, and Alex nearly comes from the sight alone.

The blonde, having taken off her underwear when she went to the restroom earlier on in their meal, reveals her clean-shaven, soaked pussy to her girlfriend, and Alex, still having her chin held by Piper's hand, can't look away. Knowing she's made the blonde this wet already, having barely touched her, arouses Alex both with excitement and sexual energy; conscious of the fact that Piper will be eager for what the rest of their evening will inevitably entail.

"Jesus Christ, Piper," Alex says, using her index finger to stroke Piper's wet inner thigh, to which a new visible drop of wetness leaves the blonde's pussy. Piper's legs immediately shut tightly as her eyes roll back, despite being out of Alex's view.

Alex returns from under the tablecloth, fork forgotten about, and sees her flustered looking girlfriend - a look she imagines she's mirroring - biting her bottom lip, revealing her perfect top line of teeth.

"I'll go and pay. My birthday treat," Piper flirts, getting up and brushing along Alex's shoulder as she walks past.

The brunette sits smiling to herself, amused that her girlfriend, who was previously shy when it came to sex, was being so dirty in public, and when the blonde returns, she leans down to kiss Alex on the lips and takes her hand, walking them out the restaurant and towards Alex's apartment.

"You're so dirty, Pipes," Alex says, stopping on the empty pavement, putting her hands on Piper's ass. "What happened to your underwear."

"I didn't want to ruin my favourite pair," Piper says, trying to sound innocent.

"I love this carefree side of you, babe," Alex says, kissing the blonde as they start to walk hand-in-hand again. Thank you for tonight."

"Well I couldn't not take you out on your birthday considering your friends are insisting on going clubbing at the weekend."

"I appreciate it. And I love the present," Alex says, referring to the other gift Piper had gotten her: a Pandora bangle. "However, I think it's only fitting we use one for more _experimental_ purposes this evening. You know, the late Christmas/supposed birthday present?"

"Oh I know," Piper says through a smile, having planned to do exactly that herself. "I can't wait."

"Me either," Alex replies while, once again, grabbing Piper's ass, "especially when you have an ass like this."

"Well it's all yours, Al. It is your birthday after all," Piper concludes flirtatiously, kissing her girlfriend on the lips as the brunette lets out a groan, having very little left to her - now running wild - imagination.

* * *

 **Any preferences as to the detail of what they get up to with their present in the next chapter?**


	20. Chapter 20

**I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations - it does get fairly explicit throughout...**

 **This could be the last chapter for a while as I'm leaving for university next weekend, so don't rely on these quick updates so much anymore...**

 **Thank you for all the kind comments!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Pushing her girlfriend up against the now closed apartment door, Alex plunges her tongue into the blonde's mouth as they share a moan at the connection. Piper rests her hands on Alex's shoulders, attempting to anchor herself from crumbling at the feeling of her knees buckling, before becoming frustrated by the layers of clothing separating their bare skin from one another. Moving her hand to the back of Alex's neck, the blonde tugs at her zip, pulling the material from her shoulders, resulting with the top of her dress bunching at her waist.

Alex, on the other hand, lets her hands wonder and hike up the blonde's short dress, having already gained the knowledge that she isn't wearing any underwear underneath. Her lips travel along the blonde's jaw, nibbling at the skin, before subsequently reaching her slender neck, where she gently sucks on the skin, knowing she'll be leaving a mark.

"Al, let's take this to the bedroom," Piper says, tilting her head back to expose more of her neck to her girlfriend while letting out a moan as one of the brunette's hands grazes along her wet inner thigh. Without providing a verbal response, Alex pulls the blonde's legs around her waist, lifting her from the floor, reconnecting their lips.

Turning her head while running her hands through Alex's hair, Piper changes the direction of their heated kisses; tongues fighting for dominance as more moans are shared at the feeling of the blonde's wet pussy resting against Alex's exposed abdomen.

Reaching the bedroom, Alex puts Piper down, their lips remaining together; she works to pull down the blonde's zipper, removing the dress from her girlfriend's body, while backing her up until the backs of her knees hit the bed. After gently pushing her onto the large mattress, Alex looks down at her girlfriend who lies on the bed clad in only her bra, and starts to undress herself. Unlike the blonde, Alex was wearing underwear, and having removed her dress, she's left standing at the end of the bed in her matching bra and panties.

The brunette walks over to her underwear drawer opposite Piper's position on the bed, arousing more excitement from her girlfriend, who's eager for what she's been waiting to happen for quite some time.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alex asks, pulling the strap on out of the drawer, turning to face her girlfriend.

"I'm sure. I've been wanting to do this with you for a while, Al," Piper replies sincerely, her cheeks turning a shade of rose at her answer.

Shutting the drawer and walking back over to the bed, Alex places the toy next to the blonde while joining her on the bed, covering her body with her own.

"Me too," Alex says, again connecting their lips.

The kiss soon turns passionate, and wrapping her hands around Alex's back, the blonde pulls at the clasp of her bra, quickly removing and discarding the item across the room. She pulls her girlfriend's upper half back on top of her, moaning as their bare breasts come into contact with one another for the first time that evening, while straining her neck forwards to latch her teeth onto Alex's bottom lip.

"We can do something you've wanted to try tonight too - not just what I want. It is your birthday after all."

"Pipes, I _do_ want to try this with you."

"That's not what I mean. I also want to do something you've said _you_ want us to try," the blonde says, now holding her girlfriend's jaw with her hands as her right foot drags along her calf. "I want this to be an unforgettable night."

"Let's see where the moment takes us, okay?"

Lowering her hands to Alex's ass, the blonde begins to pull down her underwear while giving a toothy smile, making her intentions clear. "Okay."

After several minutes of fighting for dominance with their tongues and removing their underwear from one another, Alex roams down to the blonde's stomach, running her tongue down her navel in a teasing manner, wanting to build Piper up as much as possible. When she eventually feels the brunette reach the juncture between her hips and thighs, Piper expects Alex's tongue on her centre, but is left disappointed, as the peppering kisses continue down to her ankles and along her long legs.

"Al, stop teasing."

"Say it nicely," Alex demands, moving up her girlfriend's legs, letting her hot breath cover her most intimate area.

"Please. I need you to move quicker."

Alex can hear - and certainly see - the desperation coming from the woman below her, and not wanting her to come too quickly, she gives her what she wants, grazing her tongue from her inner thigh to her centre, moaning at the taste.

As the brunette's tongue moves to circle her clit, Piper moans to the ceiling, weaving a hand through Alex's hair to keep her in position, and after becoming delirious from Alex's teasing, as she now teases the blonde's centre with her index finger, Piper slams her free hand down onto the bed, hitting the strap on. Picking it up, Piper calls out Alex's name, trying to get her attention, but that doesn't work, being that the brunette thinks nothing of Piper calling her name with the nature of what they're doing, so she goes on to cup Alex's jaw, pulling her face upwards.

"Can we start this already?"

"I want you to be wet enough."

"Al, I'm already soaked. I have been since dinner."

"Pass it here," Alex says, lifting herself off the bed. "You sure you don't want to use lube?" she goes on to ask while putting on the toy, jaw flying open at both the sensation of the insert hitting her clit, and the view of her girlfriend as she looks back over. " _Baby…_ "

The blonde, still lying on her back with her head on a pillow, is running her own fingers through her wetness, quietly whimpering as her arousal levels increase.

"I'm sure," Piper pants out, arching at her own touch.

Alex, now fully strapped up - although enjoying the view, moves back onto the bed, resting between Piper's spread legs. She grabs the blonde's wrist, pulling it towards the appendage between her legs, and uses her wet fingers to cover the dildo, lubricating its surface. The blonde feels her lower half clench at how erotic Alex is being, and when the brunette takes Piper's fingers into her mouth, sucking lightly while maintaining full eye contact, a new flow of wetness leaves her centre, becoming unbelievably turned on by the situation Alex is painting before her.

Alex removes Piper's fingers from her mouth, lowering them back to the dildo to ensure it's wet enough, before letting go of the blonde's hand, shuffling further between her legs. Now using her own hands to aid her hips, Alex runs the dildo through Piper's slick folds, making sure to pay attention to her clit when making her passing movements.

"Inside," Piper voices, looking Alex in the eyes, which she can see are now darkened with lust, and as the brunette looks down at her hands, she finally gives in at the sight of Piper's swollen, exposed clit and open, drenched centre.

Lining up against the blonde's entrance, Alex slowly pushes her hips forward until the tip of the dildo is inside, pausing to seek Piper's reaction.

"Is this okay?"

"Ye...ah it's… it's…" Piper whispers through a moan while placing her hands on Alex's chest. "Just start off slow. It's been a while since I've had something this size inside of me," she adds honestly.

Alex immediately understands what her girlfriend is referring to; not only have they never done this before, but before the couple first slept together, it had been over a year and a half since Piper had had sex. The brunette had previously expressed her worries in that the stretching sensation may be too much for the blonde if they buy one too big to start with, but after much persuasion from her girlfriend, Alex was left assured that regardless of how long it had been for her, it didn't matter because they would be doing it together; Piper trusted her, loved her.

"Of course. Slow," Alex confirms, starting to slowly emerge her hips forwards, watching and listening for any sign of discomfort from the woman below her.

"Fuck, Al," Piper moans out as she's stretched about halfway. Overwhelmed by the pleasurable sensation, she places her hands back on Alex's chest: an indication to slow down.

"Shit, sorry. Did I hurt you?" Alex asks, worried that she was being asked to stop.

"No, Al, I… this just feels so g-ood," Piper wavers off, tilting her head back and opening her mouth to let out whimpers before adding: "more."

Watching Piper cautiously, Alex slowly continues her movements, and as she does so, Piper pulls her into a loving kiss, one reflecting pure pleasure and satisfaction. The blonde soon, however, breaks away from the kiss at the feeling of their hips touching, an indication that Alex is fully inside of her.

"Oh Alex," she screams out - the volume even surprising the brunette, as her head flies back, fingers digging into the skin of her girlfriend's back.

"Fuck, Pipes," Alex pants into the crook of Piper's neck at the pressure on her wet clit. "Is this okay?"

"P-perfect," she responds, seeking Alex's eyes. "You can move. I trust you," the blonde adds, knowing Alex doesn't want to hurt her.

Alex does as she's told and slowly starts to move the dildo backwards, testing the waters with small juts, before sliding almost the whole way out, using her arms either side of Piper's shoulders to keep herself balanced and her pace consistent. As she pushes the dildo back in, Alex lets out a low, guttural groan that wets Piper's neck, not expecting the act to be _this_ pleasurable.

"You're so fucking tight, Pipes. You been saving this for me?"

"Mmhmm," the blonde hums, not being able to find the right words to express how she feels.

Gradually picking up the pace of her hips, the brunette continues whispering words of encouragement into the blonde's ear, hot breath heating her flushed skin.

"Do you like that?" Alex asks, angling her hips to ensure the sensitive spot on the blonde's front wall is getting recognition.

"Yes yes, right there. _Harder_ ," Piper shouts, arching her back and digging her nails further into her girlfriend's back, who lets out a wince in pain.

Piper lowers her head at the feel of Alex removing herself from her neck and attacks her lips, moaning into the brunette's open mouth as she speeds up her thrusts. Their zealous kisses continue, and Piper begins to feel the familiar coil in her lower half make its presence known as she too matches Alex's movements with her hips.

"I'm cl-ose," the blonde shouts against Alex's open mouth.

"Are you gonna come for me? Is that what you want?" Alex responds, her hips giving harsh, angled thrusts in which she herself can feel her own orgasm approaching.

"Uh, uhh, don't stop, I'm-" the blonde stutters, as she begins to reach her peak.

"That's it," Alex encourages, and as their eyes remain connected, heavily breathing onto one another's faces, the brunette delivers one last admission, hoping it will tip the blonde over the edge. "I love you, Pipes, let it go."

Letting out her loudest moan yet, the blonde's body freezes and her back arches as she reaches her earth-shattering climax, screaming out a mixture of profanities, moans and symphonies of Alex's name.

The brunette continues with her calculated, firm thrusts, eventually falling over the edge herself, grunting into the blonde's neck at the stimulation she feels and the sight before her; the blonde has her head canted backwards, neck veins showing prominently over her flushed skin; her mouth is open, from which uncontrollable moans are torn from her lips.

Slowing down the pace of her hips, Alex falls forwards onto her girlfriend, now resting her hands over Piper's head on the pillow, heavily breathing into the crook of her neck. The blonde, on the other hand, is having a hard time recovering from her orgasm; having never felt such pleasure from that kind of penetration before, she doesn't know when she'll recover, and when she feels the brunette lightly kiss her sweaty neck, she moves to stroke her long, dark hair away from her face.

Alex, feeling the blonde's touch, looks up at her girlfriend, giving her a toothy smile. "Hey."

"Hi," Piper replies, returning the smile.

"How was that?"

"It was… above and beyond what I could have possibly imagined," Piper says, voice sounding hoarse from her spell of shouting.

Feeling as though her girlfriend must be uncomfortable, the brunette attempts to pull back, but is stopped by two hands landing on her ass, pushing her down.

"Stay. I like feeling you inside me," Piper says, to which Alex lowers herself back down, kissing her girlfriend on the nose.

Piper places her hands on Alex's jaw, pulling their lips together, and what started off as innocent, quickly turned more x-rated as the blonde lines her tongue along Alex's bottom lip, whereby access wasn't immediately granted, but after roughly grabbing one of her ass cheeks, the brunette gives in, allowing entry.

The woman on top juts her hips forward as she tries to claim dominance in the kiss, which results in the appendage between her legs moving deeper inside her girlfriend. Piper, whose moan creates vibrating friction between their lips, feels her arousal levels increase to the extent where she's - yet again - ready for more.

Catching Alex off guard by flipping her onto her back, the blonde gives a seductive smile as she straddles the dark-haired woman's thighs, being that the dildo slid out during her manoeuvre.

"I'm ready for you again, Al," Piper says, holding the dildo still covered in her cum between her hands, edging forward to run it through her - already - wet centre. "This time I set the pace," she says, lowering herself onto the dildo, making sure to look Alex in her darkening green eyes as she does so.

The brunette can't believe her eyes as she watches her girlfriend take in the entire dildo, not expecting her to be ready for round 2 so quickly. Alex can see Piper's abdomen quivering and her thighs shaking as she pauses at the full length, putting her hands on her chest to steady herself.

Piper, meanwhile, moans out at the sudden feeling of fullness, something she had imagined when getting herself off, and she feels her wetness ooze down the dildo as her hands slide down to the brunette's breasts, clenching her thighs together at the feel of the hard nipples in her hands.

"Fuck, Pipes," the dark-haired woman moans, eyes rolling back at the contact with her nipples.

"You feel _so good_ , Alex," Piper says, shifting her hips forward to add pressure to Alex's clit.

Placing her hands on Piper's hips, Alex encourages her to start moving, and having gone easy on her girlfriend previously - being that it was their first time using the toy, she decides to try something that she knows turns Piper on immensely, turns her into a crumbling mess.

"You like fucking yourself like this, baby? Feeling me fill you and taking what you want?"

"Ye-yes," Piper moans, slightly craning her hips upwards to get used to the new position. "I'm so full, ugh."

"You look so hot right now. The things I could do to you."

Reaching a state of confidence, the blonde moves her hips up so that the dildo's tip rests at her entrance. She locks eyes with Alex, blue meeting green, as she slides the appendage back into her pussy; unable to keep her eyes open, while Alex is unable to keep her eyes away from the action at Piper's centre.

" _Oh, Alex,_ " Piper moans to the ceiling with a dreamy, almost relieved, tone, as she starts to move her hips back up.

"That's it - use me for your own pleasure. Ride me, you dirty girl."

At this, Piper lets out a loud groan, immediately turned on by Alex's words, nevermind what's going on between her legs. She loves it when Alex talks dirty to her, however, they've never done it in person - only when having phone sex, and knowing how much Alex loves control, even when she's on the bottom, Piper comes up with an idea.

"I have an idea," Piper says while breathing heavily, pausing when the dildo's tip is left at her opening.

"Ugh," Alex protests as the pressure on her clit stops.

"Where's your phone?"

"Pipes, really? Now isn't the time to make a call?"

"Just - where is it?!"

"On the table when you walk in next to… my keys," Alex finishes, although the blonde pulls herself away completely and rushes out the room before she managed to complete her sentence. Lying down on her back, arms spread wide, the brunette's left confused by her girlfriend, yet, as she looks up, she finds herself chuckling at the erect extension strapped to her, _Happy 30th Birthday_ , she thinks to herself.

No less than a minute later, the blonde comes running back into the room, still in her completely naked state. with Alex's phone in her hand. Kneeling next to the brunette on the bed, giving her a kiss, the blonde mumbles against her lips in question: "this is what you want, isn't it?" Leaning back, Piper shows the phone screen and, much to Alex's surprise - and delight, it is open on the camera app - specifically scrolled to the video setting.

Alex had voiced her want to record them having sex, but assumed that would be something they would plan in advance, conversing over what they're comfortable with, and when her girlfriend suggested trying something that she wanted, this wasn't an option she thought would be available.

"Holy shit, Pipes. Are you sure?"

"I trust you, Alex, and it's already turning me on just thinking about watching whatever happens back."

Holding back a groan, Alex strokes the blonde's hair, hoisting herself up onto her elbows. "Rest it somewhere good then."

Looking at the left bedside table, the blonde rests the phone sideways up against the bottom of the chunky lamp stand, moving Alex's glasses case in front to keep it in place. "Here?"

"Perfect."

Moving to stand, Piper makes sure the camera is in line with the bed and hits the record button, tapping the screen to ensure it's in focus. Satisfied, she returns to straddling Alex's thighs, leaning down to kiss her lips. "Happy Birthday, baby."

Sharing a passionate kiss, Alex runs her hands up Piper's back, soft moans falling from the woman above her, and when she feels she wants to start, Alex voices her thoughts, promising herself she'll say and do whatever necessary to make this as memorable as her fantasies.

"Suck me off."

Piper, not expecting that, raises her eyebrows at her girlfriend, yet doesn't complain, secretly finding the demand hot.

Moving onto her stomach between the brunette's legs, Piper grabs the dildo with both hands and locks her eyes with Alex as she moves her mouth towards the appendage.

Her mouth covers the dildo, lips sliding down with the help of her tongue, and she moans at the taste of her own cum and wetness from previous activities. Being that she has her eyes locked on her girlfriend, she can see Alex's head tilt back and her mouth open, letting out silent groans; Piper lowers her right hand to the strap on's base, pushing it higher into Alex's clit. She repeats the movements of her mouth, continuing to move her hand, and in hearing the throaty groans from above, as well as feeling a hand run through her hair to keep her in place, Piper knows Alex is crumbling.

"That's it, Pipes, keep going, taste yourself on me," the brunette adds, moaning as Piper takes the dildo deeply into her throat while delivering a harsh thrust with her hand, adding to the pleasurable sensation on her pulsing clit. Seeing the blonde move a hand between her own legs causes Alex to nearly come on the spot - not something that she wants to happen tonight anyway, and in seeing Piper's hand speedily brush against her own clit while swallowing her wetness, the brunette pulls her upwards, smirking as she comes up panting with saliva drooling down her chin.

"I think we're good to go now," Alex says, taking Piper's wet fingers and putting them in her own mouth.

"I'm so wet for you, Al," Piper says, moving to straddle the dildo, running from her clit to her opening before lowering herself down using her thigh muscles, quickly adjusting to the intrusion and moving herself back up in a sequence. " _Fuck_."

You're so tight… so wet. And you're all mine," Alex says, keeping up with her dominance. "Ride me. I want you to show me what's mine, Piper. Are you mine?"

"Yes, _shit_ , I'm yours," Piper moans, her hips impaling down on the dildo at an increasing rate.

"Mmhmm because no one else can fuck you like me. This pussy is mine."

"Ugh, all of me is yours, A-al," Piper moans out, her head flying back as the dildo hits her g-spot.

"That's right," Alex comments, hands roaming along the blonde's hips and ass as she watches her breasts bounce with each jump and fall of her hips.

In sensing that the blonde's close, as her muscles clench tighter around the dildo, Alex uses her right hand to cup her jaw, making the blonde meet her eye. She roams around the skin of her neck, making her intentions clear, yet wanting the blonde to asks for it; seeing her bite her lip - a sign of want.

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Al-" Piper moans pleadingly, knowing that Alex is aware she doesn't like talking about it.

"I'm not doing anything unless you ask for it, Piper."

The blonde's hips are moving at a frantic rate, and she can feel a strong orgasm approaching. Ever since Alex placed contact with her neck, she knew she wanted it, and in her attempt to keep going without it, she feels herself going crazy with want, lust and need.

"Grab me."

"Grab you where, Piper? Be specific."

"Grab my neck… choke me," Piper demands, inhibitions lost in her sea of desire despite her blushing face.

Alex, pleased she got that out of the blonde, places her fingers and thumb either side of the blonde's neck, squeezing lightly at the same time as Piper falling down onto the dildo.

Silently moaning at the mix of painful pleasure, Piper can feel her orgasm ready to burst, and with several last thrusts from her hips and squeezes from Alex's hand, she erupts in what is an explosion of submissiveness, sound and wetness.

"FUCK, ALEX! I'M CUMMING, I'M CUMMING!"

Piper immediately recognises the sensation, and from feeling a wet puddle growing between their legs, she knows she's squirting.

Alex had been trying her best to hold off her orgasm, having tried to focus her attention on Piper's body, but from feeling Piper squirt all over her for the second time they've been together, she orgasms with an unexpected force, unable to ignore the stimulation she's experiencing.

The blonde lets out, what seems to be, a never-ending supply of wetness, and the brunette can't tell if she's orgasming again or if it's the same one continuing.

By the time Alex has calmed down, she loosens her grip around Piper's neck and leans her body forwards, holding the blonde in a tight embrace. Piper shudders as she removes herself from the dildo and lies face-first onto the pillow closest to the camera on the stand - next to Alex who flops onto her back.

The brunette then turns onto her side and pulls Piper's hair away from her neck, where she leans down and places soft kisses. The blonde lets out a contented moan, feeling her body react to Alex's actions, as she goes on to allow Alex to pull her up onto her knees, using her hands to hold herself up in an all fours position.

The brunette sits behind Piper's legs and runs the dildo through her centre, causing her body to tremble at the sensation.

"I'm gonna fuck you from behind, baby, claim what's mine."

Piper can't verbally respond as she struggles to handle how hot she finds this dominant version of Alex. Instead, she turns her head to face her girlfriend, nodding and biting her lip in invitation, which soon turns into a open-mouthed scream, as the brunette roughly pushes the whole way inside, knowing the blonde can take it.

" _Damn_ you're _even tighter_ from this angle, Pipes," Alex says over Piper's loud moans, a sign that she too knows about the new advantages of this new position.

"Harder, Al. I need more," Piper desperately moans, needing to reach her high.

"Why don't you show me a good pace?" Alex asks, stopping her hips just as the dildo's tip teases the blonde's opening, hoping she knows what she means. To her luck, Piper gets what she was referring to, and pushes herself back onto the appendage, essentially fucking herself. "Give it to me, Pipes."

Her moans grow uncontrollable as she fucks herself back and forth with a harsh pace on the dildo, while trying to drag Alex down with her as she thrusts to apply pressure to her clit. Having seen Piper start to tire at her independant forward and backward movements, Alex grabs her hips, hard enough to leave small bruises, and thrusts roughly.

They've never been this rough when having sex, yet Alex always ensures to calculate her movements to make sure she isn't hurting her girlfriend, and in hearing her loud screaming and incoherent moans, Alex decides to go out with a bang, so to speak.

"Say my name," Alex commands, reaching one hand around the blonde to toy with her clit.

"Alex," Piper moans out, frequently repeating her girlfriend's name as her thrusts increase, the pitch of her voice heightening.

"I love hearing you say my name, Pipes, and now I want you to scream it when you come, my dirty girl."

At hearing the last bit whispered into her ear, Piper's body, for the third time that evening, stiffens up, and she allows herself to orgasm courtesy of her girlfriend's sexual, yet loving, charisma.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK, ALEX! CUMMING AL," Piper screams, doing as she was told.

"SHIT, PIPES, I'M CUMMING TOO," Alex also shouts - not quite as loud however, as she keeps pumping into the blonde.

When the pair eventually come to a halt, Alex gently pulls out, whispering gently into Piper's ear as she does so, letting the blonde roll into the middle of the bed as she falls onto her back, breathing heavy.

"Alex that was-"

"I know," Alex says, joining her girlfriend after putting the strap on on the floor, who pulls her into a hug, before pecking her lips.

"That was _a lot_ better than I had imagined it to be."

"Well, I might be a lesbian with a fake dick, but I do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve," Alex responds, causing them both to chuckle.

"I loved the dirty talk."

"I thought you would."

"And I love you, Alex. So much."

"I love you too, Piper."

"Oh and turn off that camera," Piper says, having moved over to the other side of the bed, getting under the covers. "That better have saved."

"On it," Alex replies, reluctantly getting up.

She sees the video is still recording, a timer of 1 hour 27 minutes showing, _fuck my storage_ , she thinks, and pushes the red stop button, smiling to herself. "Oh it saved alright."


	21. Chapter 21

**This'll be the last chapter in a while (I'm not too sure how long... maybe a month?).**

 **I - of course - won't be abandoning the story, but, as you can imagine, I'm moving to a new city this Saturday, and won't have the amount of free time I've had over recent months.**

 **Thanks for all the comments and support, and please keep letting me know what you think/would like me to include in the reviews.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The brunette's alarm on her phone rings through the air, causing her to blindly grab her phone and hit the snooze button. Now awake due to the noise ringing so close to her ear, Alex checks the time on her phone, which reads 7:30 am, before turning her head to face her girlfriend, who obviously hadn't heard the noise, as she's still fast asleep with her face down into her pillow. Moving onto her back, the brunette goes to her camera roll, curious to browse through the evidence of their activities that took part in the early hours of the morning. As she goes to press play, ensuring her volume is turned off, an email notification appears at the top of her screen. Tapping the notification, the screen moves to her email app, to which she sees an email forwarded from Lorna from an employee at the photography company, whereby the promotional pictures were being sent over.

Opening the attachment, Alex eyes the images - most of which has her girlfriend as the model, and mentally chooses the ones she liked, as, explained by Lorna, the ones Alex picks will be used for the gym's advertisements. She flicks through the images and saves the ones of her girlfriend to her phone; the one where the blonde is in a sports bra lifting a weight, revealing her tensed abs, is - _unsurprisingly_ \- her favourite of the collection.

The brunette feels a weight shift next to her; subsequently feeling a leg hook over her naked hip and a hand land on her abdominal region, she turns her head to see blue, tired eyes struggling to open.

"Turn that light off," Piper says as she tucks her head into Alex's armpit.

"It's just my phone, Pipes."

"Lower the brightness then," the blonde adds, almost as though stating the obvious, while Alex, smirking to herself, instead locks the phone and puts it back onto the nightstand. Turning onto her side, she lets out a sharp wince when she lands on her left shoulder.

"Al, are you okay?" Piper asks with a hint of worry, lifting her head up.

"Yeah. I probably just slept weirdly." Alex replies, genuinely not knowing why she felt that sudden pang of discomfort. "How are you feeling? You okay?"

"A little sore," the blonde honestly says, voicing a feeling she noticed as soon as she had earlier hooked her leg over her girlfriend's hip, "but it was totally worth it."

"Yeah, it was," Alex smiles, leaning forward to peck Piper on the lips.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly 7:45. I can drop you in today. I think we'll be late if we want to walk," Alex answers, knowing they both start work at 9 and it doesn't seem like they're getting up anytime soon.

"Thanks, Al," Piper replies, running her fingers over the woman before her's jawline.

"Oh and the pictures from the other day came in," Alex says, raising her hand and using her thumb to point behind her head towards her phone.

"Were they good enough for you?"

"Perfect. Great spank bank material."

"Alex!" Piper says, poking her girlfriend's nose. "That's not I meant."

"I'm just kidding," Alex says, trying to catch the blonde's finger between her teeth. "They're great, thanks. Just what we needed."

"I'd think you have enough spank bank material after last night," Piper digresses slightly, referring to the video on Alex's phone. "Were you just watching it?" she goes on to ask, knowing it's a possibility.

"I was going to look through it, but the pictures came through, so no. No I wasn't."

"Just as long as no one else sees it. Maybe move it to a spare, empty USB you have or something?"

"You sound awfully experienced in this field, Ms Chapman," Alex probes, teasing her girlfriend.

"Shut up," Piper replies, kissing Alex one last time before turning back to the other side of the bed, getting up to head for the bathroom.

Alex, meanwhile, turns back towards her nightstand and hangs her legs over the side of the bed, again wincing at the movement, I can't be that sore, she thinks to herself as she tries to eliminate the reasons as to why her body aches so much, considering their more… _adult activities_ were mainly inflicted upon Piper.

A short while later, the blonde returns to the bedroom, still very much naked, and sees her girlfriend is no longer in the room. What she does see, however, immediately causes a concern, because as she looks over at the bed, she can identify spatters of blood on the white sheet. Thoughts regarding if herself or Alex may have leaked in the night is out of the question - being that they had both already had their periods about a week ago, so the blonde is left stunned, as she turns to grab an oversized t-shirt that sits on the top of the brunette's cabinet opposite the bed.

Before she gets the chance to leave the room, Alex walks back in, naked apart from her boyshorts that she must have put on, carrying in two mugs of coffee. The brunette walks past the blonde, and as Piper turns her head to follow her girlfriend's movements, her eyes widen; the answers to the many questions forming in her mind are answered - for the moment, anyway.

"Fuck, Alex, I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asks, putting the two mugs down onto the side table. The audible wince when she leans over slightly isn't lost on the blonde.

"I hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, Piper."

"Then why are you walking around like you're 90 and stiffening up every time you go to do something."

"It's nothing."

"Well from the look of your body and the splats of blood on the bed sheets, it doesn't look like nothing to me," Piper says, now looking at Alex's torso.

The brunette, confused as to what Piper's talking about, follows the movement of her eyes and looks down at her torso. Across her abdominal region and breasts are pink marks that obviously came from fingernails, along with a few light scratches. Alex fondly remembers Piper's hands roaming her body as she rode her - what must have been - a few hours ago, and while she initially found the thought hot, she remembers the sharp stings of - enjoyable at the time - pain that would shoot down her back during their first sound of sex the late evening prior. Rushing to the mirror on the wall opposite the bed, Alex turns her body to the side, twisting and turning to assess the condition of her back.

She immediately discovers the source of her discomfort, as from her shoulders down to the the centre of her back lies harsh scratch marks - ones that have nothing compared to the small marks on her front.

"Fucking hell, Piper," Alex voices as she tentatively tries to touch some of the marks.

"I'm so sorry, Al. I couldn't help it. Where else am I going to put my hands?"

"Well maybe cut your fucking nails next time," Alex shouts, not meaning to sound as harsh as she did. "Am I bleeding?" she asks, turning her back to Piper.

"No," the blonde answers, scanning her girlfriend's raw looking back. "Just a few specks of dried blood."

"Is it all over the sheets?" Alex asks, moving to help the blonde move the duvet out of the way, but her question is quickly answered when the small stains on the white sheet comes into view. "Well it could have been a lot worse."

"Al-"

"Hey, I'm kidding. I like that you enjoyed last night. I now have a reminder of my birthday," Alex says, moving to wrap her arms around Piper's waist, "That doesn't mean I'm not going to be punishing you for it."

" _P-punishing_ me?" Piper asks, eyes widening.

"Well if you can't keep your hands to yourself, I'll just have to tie them up."

Piper moans out at the imagery Alex created, and when she looks into her girlfriend's dark, lust-filled eyes, the blonde attacks the brunette's lips, groaning at the contact. The kiss soon turns passionate, but as Piper goes to put her hands on Alex's shoulders, the brunette breaks away.

"Shoulders!" she grimaces.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry, Al."

"You'll be the death of me, Pipes," Alex comments, chuckling as she pulls away to go to the bathroom, before concluding: "I'll go and grab the aloe vera… you might be needing some concealer for work though."

Moving closer to the mirror, the blonde sees a series of dark hickeys along her neck and across her collarbone - something that she doesn't normally mind coming from Alex, but she sighs, knowing Polly will be quizzing her for details as well as giving her shit for her appearance.

* * *

"So, how was last night, Vause?" Nicky asks, walking into Alex's office with the newly printed advertisement leaflets.

"Good thanks," Alex replies nonchalantly, not wanting her best friend to pester her like she normally does.

"Just good?"

"Don't you have better things to be doing than quizzing me, Nic?"

"Well, I thought it would have been more than _good_ , considering you turned up late this morning, and you can barely move without acting like you've got a shovel up your ass."

"I'm moving perfectly fine."

"Yeah, okay. 'Moving perfectly fine' my ass… or your ass, considering your one is lying," the wild-haired woman adds, while waving the pictures in Alex's face. "Where do you want these?"

"In the front."

"What about the back," Nicky asks, winking as she delivered the double entendre.

Alex, knowing the real meaning of her friend's question, doesn't give a verbal answer as she exits the office, leaving behind her laughing best friend.

Throughout the day, Alex is swarmed with work, and with the very little amount of sleep she got the night before, she can feel her eyes wanting to close over and her eyes tearing up due to her frequent spells of yawning.

Checking her phone for messages, Alex sees a text from Piper telling her that she just bought a USB stick - something that makes the brunette chuckle, while feeling a sense of relief wash over her at the fact that she doesn't feel worried every time she presses a button on her phone out of fear that she's accidentally going to leak their intimate video.

Alex replies puts her phone into her back pocket as she heads to the staff bathroom with her bottle of aloe vera. Locking herself in a cubicle, she takes off her t-shirt and takes her phone back out to use it as a mirror. She applies the aloe vera to her back and snaps a picture to send to Piper, anticipating her reply.

* * *

Piper, rushing into her office at PoPi, throws her bag onto the sofa, and logs into her emails, knowing she needs to send an important email regarding their Christmas sales.

The blonde arrived to work 20 minutes late, despite being given a lift from Alex, and so far she's managed to avoid Polly's questions, but she knows they will inevitably catch up on her, especially as today is the day they're both taking part in a conference call regarding setting up a second shop in another location, meaning their other employees are responsible for the day's sales.

After rushing to the mirror on her office wall, Piper puts on her blazer and straightens her shirt underneath, wanting to feel professional for the awaiting call. She goes to Polly's office and meets her in the room, where she is setting up the phone for the conference call.

"Good thing this is happening over the phone," Polly says to her best friend, yet not looking up from the phone.

"Why's that?" Piper asks, sitting down next to Polly on an empty chair by the phone on her desk.

"Have you seen yourself this morning?" Polly asks, now looking up with a grin before continuing. "You turn up late from your girlfriend's car, you just put on half of your work clothes a few minutes ago, and you have concealer all over your neck that's too light for your skin tone.

Piper, while placing a hand on her neck - almost as though thinking back to how she got the marks to begin with, internally scauls herself for using Alex's concealer as a cover-up despite it being a few shades lighter than her own. She goes on to try and explain herself without giving away any extreme details: "You know it was Alex's birthday yesterday, Polly. I stayed over at hers."

"Jesus, I don't even know if I want to know why you look the way you do this morning," the brunette says, laughing, yet quickly gives in and goes against her previous statement. "How was it?"

"Gosh it was _so good_ , Pol. It's like I can never get enough of her; last night we… we _experimented_ a little more than normal."

"You experimented? Oh, Piper don't tell me you had a threesome. No, you wouldn't do that… You took it up the ass?!"

"What the fuck, Polly? No!" Piper shouts. " _God no_ ," she goes on to chuckle, "we used a toy."

"Ohh," Polly voices, tilting her head back in understanding, "and how was that?"

"Don't get me started. Just thinking about it is getting me going again," Piper replies, probably too honestly compared to what Polly was expecting.

"Save that for later because even though I love you and all, Pipes, I don't love you like that."

"The feeling's returned," Piper smiles, happy that she can be so open with her best friend.

"Good - I don't ever want Alex to beat the shit out of me."

"How about you? How're things with Pete?" Piper asks, crossing her right leg over her left.

"They're great. We're coming up to 2 years together - and he's never shown any interest in fucking me in the ass, for which I am grateful," the brunette adds while standing up from her chair.

"Well, you never know - he may just be saving that hole for marriage," Piper wittily replies, to which she receives an unimpressed glare as Polly quickly rushes out the room, announcing that she needs to go to the bathroom.

The blonde sits back and smiles to herself, amused at how her life has changed over the last 7 months. Her relationship with her family is improving as they seem to show their approval towards Alex; her relationship with Alex is flourishing, whereby she finds herself loving something new about the brunette everyday, and her business is running at an unprecedented level of success to the extent where the opportunity to open a new store is on the horizon.

* * *

Several hours later, the pair are sitting in a local coffee shop having finished their conference call. The digital meeting went better than they expected, and given the vast profits they have made over Christmas, the chances of being able to afford a new space are looking very likely.

"I don't know, Pol, it needs to be somewhat local," Piper says, putting her empty coffee cup down onto the table, "I've made myself a good life here. I'm not moving away from that."

"Okay - you don't want to move and I _certainly_ don't want to move either, but the only somewhat local places I've seen available so far are down shitty streets that are either next to a rundown pet store, or a building that looks like it's hosting a secret crystal meth lab. What the fuck are we going to do?"

"We can always hire someone else to take over the new store?"

"Piper, where are we going to find someone that knows what to do?"

"Pol, it's hardly rocket science. We managed to train all of our employees what to do within two weeks. Some of them might want to transfer over - I mean, the commute here isn't exactly ideal for a few of them, so the new space might be better," Piper reasons, knowing that at least 2 of their current 4 extra employees have a lengthy commute to get to work.

"We can only ask them," Polly agrees, feeling swayed by Piper's proposal.

"Why don't we go and drink something a little stronger?" Piper suggests, checking her watch and seeing it's 3pm as she gets up from her chair seeing Polly has now finished her small drink, _the perfect time to start drinking_ , the blonde thinks to herself.

"I'm fine with just coffee, Piper," Polly answers while also standing up next to her best friend.

Piper eyes the brunette suspiciously, _Polly never turns down a drink_. "You never pass up on an opportunity to have a drink. What's happened? You suddenly going on a juice cleanse? You've realised that vodka actually tastes like paint stripper? Or, better yet, you're pregnant!" Piper finishes off while laughing, but at seeing the sheepish look from her best friend, the blonde's eyes widen and her jaw drops. "You're pregnant? Oh my God, Polly, how far along are you?!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you yet, but we wanted to wait for our first scan… so yeah, I am pregnant: 11 weeks," Polly says excitedly, mirroring Piper's wide smile. "You're the first to know."

"Was it planned?"

"Well, we've spoken about having kids, which I honestly thought would come after marriage, but where's the fun in tradition?"

"So that's why you've been running to the bathroom so often. Morning sickness that bad?"

"Oh it's a real bitch," Polly laughs, "but I can't wait to be a mom."

Giving her best friend a hug, Piper leans into Polly's ear, telling her "I'm so happy for you; you're going to be a great mom."

The two, having already paid for their drinks at the till when they bought them, take the 5 minute walk back to PoPi, where the two discuss whether it would be wise to put the additional location move on the back-burner with Polly's pregnancy. They re-enter the store, mutually deciding to leave that conversation for another day when they have more time, and as Piper greets her fellow employee behind the desk, she is told that a woman in the shop was looking for her.

Turning to see who the customer could be, Piper's eyes widen as a tall brunette - similar height to her own - is over by the soap shelves. She immediately recognises the woman's dark hair and her mannerisms - all of which run parallel to the ones of her girlfriend, and it's in this moment of realisation that Piper knows she can't mess up… the moment she finally meets Alex's mother in person.


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks for all the messages (Freshers' Flu is no joke)!**

 **Here's something small from where I've accumulated some free time over the last two days. Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

* * *

The blonde, knowing the brunette is yet to see her, turns back around to prepare herself for what awaits her, but as she goes to rush to her office, she crashes into a shelf, knocking over some of its items.

"Shit," the blonde whisper-shouts, leaning over to pick up the items that landed on the floor, yet as she stands back up, straightening out her shirt, she's faced with the woman she was panicked to meet.

"You alright there, honey?" Diane asks, smiling at the flustered woman in front of her.

"Diane!" Piper exclaims, outstretching her hand, "It's so great to finally meet you."

"Piper - we give hugs around here. I mean, it's not like I haven't seen you in your underwear," the brunette says, grinning as the blonde's face reddens.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realise Alex was on FaceTime after getting out the sh-" the blonde tries to explain before she's cut off while being pulled into a hug.

"I'm just kidding. You're family, Piper. Anyone who means as much to Alex as you do is family," she concludes, pulling back from the hug, yet still holding the younger woman's shoulders.

"I appreciate that, Diane," Piper says through a smile before going on to ask: "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well my daughter promised to get me some of the well-renowned soap I keep hearing about, but she hasn't seemed to get around to it."

"Oh I don't know if we're well-renowned," Piper says, dipping her head slightly as she feels almost as though embarrassed by Alex's mother's opinion.

Gently gripping Piper's chin with her right hand, Diane lifts her head up as she senses the nervousness of her daughter's girlfriend. "I mean it. You're really making it out there, honey."

"Thank you, Diane," Piper smiles, feeling already very relaxed in the older woman's company. "Does Alex know you're here?"

"Oh no," the brunette laughs, "a little white lie doesn't hurt now and again," she adds, winking as she removes her hand from the blonde's chin.

Feeling as though she needs to impress the woman before her, Piper turns to the side, raising her hand to mimic a path through the air. "Would you like some coffee? I can show you around upstairs?"

"That would be great, thank you," Diane says, moving to follow the blonde. "I'm not intruding, am I?"

"No, of course not," Piper says, taking Diane through a door that meets the staircase leading to her office.

The pair walk towards the office, and as Piper opens the door, directing Diane to sit on the sofa while she goes to make drinks from her coffee machine, Polly walks in.

"I've worked it out. We can wait until I give birth to move, but we can put in a deposit before my maternity leave," the young brunette says while looking down at a clipboard.

"Pol, now isn't really the time," Piper comments, arching her neck to face her best friend while not spilling the coffee she's making.

"Piper, we spoke about this. We need to discuss this when we both are free, and unless you've planned something in the last 10 minutes, then please fill me in," Polly replies, jotting down on the paper held by her clipboard, still not looking up.

"Polly, a lot has happened in 10 minutes," Piper refutes, and having witnessed her best friend still not looking up from what she's doing, the blonde goes on to add in a serious tone: "Polly!"

"What?" the young brunette exclaims mirroring Piper's tone, oblivious to what she just walked into to.

Looking towards the sofa, Polly sees a woman she doesn't recognise, and silently looking over at her best friend, who has her eyebrows raised and eyes widened, she soon realises that Piper was being serious.

"Oh, sorry!" she chuckles while stepping into the room, resting the clipboard on her hip with her left hand.

"Polly this is Diane, Alex's mom," the blonde says through gritted teeth, "Diane this is Polly, my best friend and business partner."

"Ah so you're the other half of PoPi," Diane says, reaching out to shake Polly's outstretched hand.

"That would be me," Polly admits, quickly realising that Piper doesn't want her in the room. "I can come back another time," she adds, waving her clipboard. "It was nice to meet you - albeit briefly - Diane."

"You too, Polly," Diane replies, grabbing the coffee from Piper's hand that she's being passed at the same time.

"So this is quite the place to have going on here, Piper."

"Everything seems to be going to plan - if not better. We've been talking about new store locations we can move to," Piper responds, taking a seat down next to Diane, turning sideways to face the older woman.

"So you'll be moving?" Diane asks, sipping her drink before placing it down onto the small coffee table in front of them.

"Moving isn't something Polly and I are wanting to do ourselves. Especially for me after everything I've built for myself around here as of recent."

"Okay, good, because God knows how my daughter would react if you moved away," Diane replies, chuckling at the imagery she created.

"I would never do that to Alex, Diane. I have no intentions in leaving her. Ever. She's it for me, as long as she's willing to have me," she concludes, placing her own drink onto the table, avoiding the older woman's gaze at her admission.

"My Alex never stops talking about you, Piper. You are it for her too. Let's just say that I've never met any of her previous girlfriends. I can see she has great taste."

"Thank you - I appreciate that."

"I'm taking you both out tonight by the way. My surprise. I wanted to do something special for Alex's birthday - although a day late."

"I'm sure she'd love that. She should be here anytime soon. We rotate between who walks who home."

"Well there's not going to be any walking each other home today, Piper. Let's just hope Alex doesn't lose it when she sees that I'm talking to you alone."

"Why? Would she be mad?" Piper asks curiously.

"I've been given the whole ' _don't embarrass me in front of Piper, Mom_ ' talk," Diane replies using her fingers to imitate quotation marks.

"She's just going to have to deal with it," Piper laughs, leaning back into the chair.

"I like you even more than I did earlier, Piper," the older brunette admits, joining in with the laughter.

* * *

Saying her goodbyes to her own colleges, Alex heads across the street to pick up her girlfriend and walk her home. She greets Polly, who she shares a short, pleasant conversation with, before being told that Piper's waiting for her upstairs.

Heading out the door leading to the stairs, Alex climbs the steps two at a time, before hearing voices when she gets to the top. Assuming it's just some other employees, she heads for Piper's office, opening the door tentatively due to previously being told on several occasions that knocking isn't necessary.

She would notice that laugh a million miles away - both of the laughs a million miles away, and as she fully opens the door, now standing in the hallway, Alex is faced with the sight of her mother and girlfriend sitting next to one another, laughing hysterically at something they're both obviously very amused by - something that, while making her jaw drop, makes her heart flutter simultaneously.

"What the fuck, Mom?"

"Hello to you too, Alex" Diane wipes her eyes, trying her best to clear her watery laugher-infused eyes, as she stands up to greet her daughter.

Wrapping her mother into an embrace, Alex looks over at Piper, who is biting her lip as she anticipates Alex's reaction.

"What're you doing here?" Alex asks, breaking away from the hug.

"I'm taking you two out this evening. A birthday treat on me."

"Mom you don't have to do that."

"Well it looks like it's just Piper and I going out tonight then?" Diane comments, looking over at the blonde who's smiling wide at the exchange in front of her. "Now I need to use the restroom, and by the time I get back, you best be ready because I didn't raise you to be stuck up, Alex. Piper - is there a restroom I can use?"

"Sure - turn right and walk to the very end of the hallway. You should see the ladies' there."

"Thank you, honey," Diane says, smiling at the blonde as she leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.

"So I see you've met my mom," Alex says, watching Piper as she gets up and starts walking towards her.

"She just turned up at the store asking for me. She's great," Piper responds, looping her arms around Alex's neck.

"Yeah, she is great, isn't she?"

"Mmhmm," Piper mumbles, connecting their lips. "I missed you today."

"You saw me this morning, Pipes," Alex chuckles.

"I know, but I missed... _you_ ," Piper says through a low voice, moving her hands to the button of the jeans Alex had changed into.

"So last night wasn't enough for you, then?" Alex asks as she starts to walk the blonde backwards until she is up against the desk.

"I don't think I can ever get enough of you, Al," Piper replies sincerely while being hoisted onto the desk and having her lips attacked in the process.

The blonde's hands lands on her girlfriend's ass, knowing her shoulders are off limits for the time being, and as she kneads the skin between her palms, she feels her rate of arousal increase.

"I'm gonna fuck you on top of this desk one day, Pipes," Alex breaths against the blonde's lips.

"Can't wait," Piper pants, pulling away from the kiss. "I love you, Al."

"Love you too, Pipes."

"I think what you were meant to say is that you love my daughter's ass, Piper," Diane says, interrupting their moment as she appears in the office's door frame.

"Mom," Alex rebukes, turning around as the blonde removes her hand having been caught red-handed.

"While your daughter does have an amazing ass, Diane, it was really the glasses that were the deal breaker for me."

"Pipes!" Alex turns back to scold her girlfriend with her eyebrows now raised, surprised she said that to her mother.

"Relax," Piper says, getting down from the desk and leaning in to whisper in the brunette's ear, "your tits were really the dealbreaker, followed by your pus-"

"Okay, I think we should get going now!" Alex interrupts, not wanting to melt into a horny mess in front of her mother.

Grabbing Piper by her hand, who then grabs her coat before locking her office door, Alex leads the way out of the building, following the instructions as to where they are going, courtesy of her mother.

* * *

The three women, now eating their meals and on their second bottle of shared wine, have conversed with ease over the last hour since they left PoPi, and feeling curious to know everything she can about her girlfriend, Piper decides to take the current opportunity to dig for some answers.

"So, Diane, what was Alex like when she was younger?"

To this the blonde receives a look of surprise from her girlfriend, who goes on to stare at her mother - almost as though begging her to not be too over-informative, and a laugh from the older brunette, as she puts down the glass of wine she was holding.

"Oh this one right here," Diane starts, pointing at her daughter, "she was a right little shit. Never listened, always got into fights, but seemed to surprisingly mature over the years."

"Gee, thanks, Mom," Alex says, fiddling with her glasses, which Piper immediately picks up on and instantly feels a stab of guilt at having brought up Alex's childhood - something she knows can make her girlfriend feel uncomfortable to talk about.

"When she started working with Red, she seemed to stop being a pain in the ass. Well, not that she can't still be one, but she turned it down a notch. Or maybe that was because of that time I caught you dealing weed."

"Mom!" Alex shouts across the circular table their seated at, yet not gaining the attention of any diners in the restaurant being that it's so busy. "Do you really have to go there right now?"

"You dealt drugs?" Piper asks, shocked by Diane's revelation.

"This one sure was a hell-bent kid," the oldest brunette says, chuckling at Piper's reaction. "I do have to admit that her confiscated produce did go to good use," Diane adds, winking at the blonde.

"So that's where that went," Alex says - more so to herself, as she realised that her mother had smoked her stash of weed that she had confiscated when she was younger, something that makes her smile at how cool her mom really is. "And no, I am not a drug dealer. Never was."

"That's bullshit, Alex, I caught you and Nicky doing it!"

"Exactly! Nicky! It wasn't mine," Alex tries to defend herself, to which Piper is smiling at the interaction, in awe that her girlfriend's mother is so open with what she talks about. "And I'm not too sure I'd say I was hell-bent… maybe… challenged?"

"Well you definitely are _bent_ , aren't you?" Piper asks, trying not to laugh.

"I'm gay?!" Alex responds, leaning towards Piper as she grips the edge of the table with her right hand and covers her chest with her left.

The blonde, despite looking surprised, is amused by her girlfriend's humour, and places her hand over the one gripping the table. "I sure hope you are."

"That's another thing I caught you out on, Alex... that time I walked into your room and you were in bed with that girl who laughed like a-"

"Alright, Mom, I think that's enough of talking about me now," Alex interrupts, knowing that Piper will feel uncomfortable hearing about her past of sleeping with other women. "How was your trip?"

"Wonderful thanks. We even went to a nude beach!"

"God I did not need that imagery," Alex says, resting her fingers and thumb against her temple as her elbow rests on the table.

"I've always wanted to go to one of those," Piper adds, before turning to Diane. "What was it like?"

"Honey, let's just say that I saw plenty of package that day."

"Mom..." Alex warns even though she's fighting a grin herself.

"What? I need to find myself a man! Now you two are all loved up, I feel like I need to get myself back out there."

"I don't quite think a nudist beach is the best place to start, Diane," Piper says through a chuckle.

"Just you wait till you visit one, Piper," Diane replies with a wink, to which Alex pretends to gag as she tilts her head forward, groaning at the grotesque imagery that just formed in her head.

* * *

By the time the group leave the restaurant and arrive back at Alex's apartment, Piper and Diane act as though they've known each other all their lives. Alex offered to drive her mother home after not wanting her to spend money on a taxi, and as she stands from a far watching her two favourite people laughing at something her mother is showing on her phone, the brunette feels content.

She had never introduced anyone she had dated or slept with to her mother in all of her 30 years of life; only Nicky and Lorna have a close bond with Diane. However, seeing her mom looking so happy makes her happy, and seeing Piper enjoying her mother's company makes her crave for more interactions like the one they've experienced this evening.

Lost in her daydreams, the brunette doesn't hear her name being called, until one particularly loud shout stirs her back to focus.

"Hmm, what?"

"I just asked if you were ready to take me home? I can always order an Uber?"

"Yeah. Of course I am. I'll take you. Let me just get my shoes," Alex stutters rushing to her bedroom, almost as though trying to hide the fact that she was caught daydreaming, and from the look she saw on her mother's face, she knows she wanted to press the matter, but won't cross that line until they're alone.

Piper, having walked Diane to the door, hugs the older woman goodbye, promising to meet again soon and not to wait as long as it originally took to meet in person to begin with.

"You're perfect for my Alex, Piper," Diane says, putting her hands on the tops of the blonde's arms. "She can get overwhelmed by letting people in; just keep doing what you're doing because I've never seen her this happy before."

Before Piper can reply, Diane pulls away as Alex returns from her bedroom, announcing that she's ready to go. The older brunette opens the front door and starts to walk towards the elevator, while Alex leans over to kiss her girlfriend on the lips.

"I'll be back soon. Feel free to keep the bed warm."

"Drive safely, babe."

"Babe?" Alex asks, smirking as her eyebrows raise in amusement.

"Mmhmm, now get going so you can help me keep the bed warm."

"Of course, _babe_ ," Alex mimics, giving the blonde one last peck before leaving the door to travel down to the car with her mother.


	23. Chapter 23

After driving down the quiet roads in the darkness, Alex turns into the cul-de-sac where her mother lives.

"So, what did you think of Piper?"

"I like her. She seems to have a good influence on you."

"Yeah, she does," Alex replies, pulling her car onto Diane's driveway before stopping, applying her handbrake, and getting out to help her mother with her bags.

After unlocking the front door to her home, Diane turns to face her daughter, pulling her into a hug: "you don't let go of her, Alex; she's the best thing that's come into your life in a very long time."

"I know, Mom. I'm not planning on it."

"Correct answer," Diane says, kissing her daughter on the cheek as she pulls away from the hug, picking up her bags from the floor. "There's no point in coming in, Al, I'm heading to bed and you have Piper waiting back at yours."

"You sure? I can come help you put away your things?"

"That I am. I may be 60, but I can do things independently," Diane jokes, finding her daughter's protective side amusing. "Drive safe."

"Will do, Mom. I'll stop by next week."

"Yeah, you fucking better," Diane mumbles under her breath as she watches her daughter open her car door. "Oh, and bring Piper!" she shouts as the door slams shut; the nod from Alex's head and the toothy smile covering her lips both indicate that her message was received loud and clear.

* * *

After consuming wine at dinner - as well as since arriving back at Alex's apartment, Piper's feeling buzzed. She's been craving her girlfriend's touch since their encounter on her desk a number of hours ago, and knowing that Alex won't be home for another hour - assuming she stays for a while with her mother for some much-needed alone time, she doesn't know how much longer she can take.

After downing the rest of her glass of wine, the blonde checks her work bag that currently occupies the space next to her on the sofa and pulls out her laptop. Knowing she had charged it the night before, she smiles to herself as she gets up from the sofa and heads to Alex's room, ready to relax.

10 minutes later, Piper finds herself naked from the waist down - her top half clad in a white laced bra, with her laptop propped up on the empty side of the bed - the screen filled by her go-to picture of Alex saved to her bookmarks, as her right hand rests between her legs.

Staring at the picture, the blonde unpicks the details of Alex's body that isn't visible, like her ample cleavage and the goldmine it leads to, her toned abdominals that she loves to worship with her mouth; her v-line junction that leads to her mound.

With these thoughts, along with the imagined hope that her own hand is Alex's, the blonde shuts her eyes and tilts her head back as a moan rips through her throat while she plunges two fingers into her centre.

She keeps her pace consistent, yet tries to remind herself to keep her eyes on the laptop screen. What she begins to imagine is Alex's voice whispering in her ear. The unmistakable low grumble that falls from her lips whenever she feels something particularly pleasurable or when she's just about to come.

Using her free hand to grab the edge of the laptop and anchor her grip onto something, the blonde's hand between her legs increases in speed, and as she starts to feel the familiar onset of pleasure ready to explode, the bedroom door flies open.

Slamming down the laptop screen, the blonde looks up to see her girlfriend standing wide-eyed at the door frame of her bedroom.

"Shit, Pipes," Alex groans, looking at her girlfriend's near naked body all the way down to the hand still moving between her legs.

"Sorry, Al, I just couldn't wait any longer and I didn't think you'd be home so quickly," Piper pants out as she stops the hand between her legs.

"Were you watching porn?" Alex asks, eyeing the laptop that she witnessed being shut aggressively.

"No, of course not," Piper says unconvincingly, hoping the subject will change.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Pipes. I think it's hot that you were watching it."

"Alex - I wasn't watching porn."

"So then what were you doing?" the brunette goes on to ask through a smirk, thinking that she'd caught her girlfriend out.

The blonde, debating what she should do, doesn't know what's worse: having Alex think she was watching porn, or having Alex find out that she was getting herself off to a picture of her in her workout clothes. Before she has the chance to decide, Alex sits next to her hip on the edge of the bed and tries to grab the device.

"Okay I'll show you!" Piper says, pushing Alex's hands away.

She pulls the laptop closer, opens the lid and types in her password. For the few seconds it takes to load faced with a blank, dark screen, Piper prays that the image won't show, _maybe I clicked off it already?_ , she thinks to herself, but at seeing the screen's brightness increases and the present image, she knows that didn't happen.

The blonde can hear the brunette's loud intake of breath, but feels fortunate that she can't see her face, which, had she been facing the other way, Piper would have witnessed the shocked face of her girlfriend with raised eyebrows, and slightly reddening cheeks.

The brunette, while entertained at having caught Piper in the act, feels a fluttering in her stomach that triggers a blush to cover her face. She loves Piper, and to know that she was using a picture of herself to get herself off both turns her on and makes her feel considerately more in love with the blonde lying down before her.

"I see," Alex says, breaking the silence. "Can't have the real thing, so you go to digital form."

"Al, it's not like that, you weren't here and I-"

"I'm kidding, kid. How did you even get that picture?"

"I found it online."

"Ah, so you looked me up online?"

"Well I... um... a while ago, yeah."

"Wow, you even cropped it," Alex says though a laugh, leaning over to adjust the screen to get a better look at the image.

"Shut up," Piper replies, quickly shutting and pushing the laptop away from Alex.

"Hey, I think it's hot that you were getting yourself off to a picture of me," the brunette honestly says, not wanting her girlfriend to feel ashamed for having sexual fantasies. "I have ones of you too," she goes on to admit.

"You do?" Piper asks, turning to look up at the woman sitting next to her.

"Yeah. Not saved to the bookmarks page on my laptop though, but I have some ones on my phone."

"Show me."

"Oh no no no, that's for me to know, and for you to never find out," Alex says, gently picking up the blonde's right hand to study her hand. Putting two of her wet fingers into her mouth, the brunette moans at the taste of her girlfriend, who, in return, flickers her eyes shut as she mirrors the moan lightly. "Did you come?"

"No. I was close though."

"We can't have that now, can we?" Alex asks seductively, letting go of the blonde's fingers with a pop.

"Uh huh."

Getting up from the bed, taking the laptop and putting it down on the top of the drawers opposite the bed, Alex starts to remove her clothes, pleased to see blue eyes following her every move as Piper simultaneously removes her own bra. Deciding now is the best time to execute her plan, Alex opens her underwear drawer and pulls out three silky items, something she had brought a few days prior. Moving back to the bed - seeing that her naked girlfriend had shuffled into the middle, Alex covers Piper's body with her own, both moaning at the contact of their naked bodies while they share a kiss.

Tongues battle for dominance - a battle the brunette obviously wins, and as she pulls away, she can see the darkened lust behind Piper's eyes.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Al."

"Just promise me that you'll tell me if you want this to stop, okay?"

"I promise I'll tell you if I'm uncomfortable," the blonde reassures her girlfriend, grabbing her cheeks with both hands.

"Good," Alex says, delivering one last peck before grabbing the blonde's hands from her face and pinning them to the bed. "Now I need you to be still for the next part," the brunette adds as she picks up two of the silky garments from the bed and starts to, one by one, tie the blonde's wrists to the bedposts. "How's that?" she asks once they're both tied up, "Can you move them?"

Trying to move her hands around yet failing, Piper gives her answer in physical form. "Just fuck me, Al," she tries to demand, tired of the long build up.

"Patience, babe. I have one more thing to do," Alex says as she picks up the last piece of silky fabric that lies on the bed. Lowering it over the top of Piper's face, the brunette pulls the material over her girlfriend's eyes, hoping that using a blindfold is something that the blonde still wants, considering it was her request to begin with.

"Oh my God, Al, this is so hot," Piper pants, yanking her right hand at the instinct to start touching herself - something that makes the brunette smirk.

"Just say the word and it comes off."

"Just get on with it, Al."

"Mmhmm," Alex mumbles as she begins to attack the blonde's neck and collarbone with kisses, before descending down to her breasts.

The brunette lavishes her girlfriend's stiff, sensitive peaks with her mouth, as she revels over the woman below her turning into a quivering mess under her touch. Alex has one more surprise for the blonde, and as she knows the blonde is close already from what she was doing before she walked in, the brunette decides to act on her plan.

Leaning sideways to reach her jeans that are lying on the floor, the brunette fishes out her phone and headphones from her pocket. Plugging in the headphones, she puts her phone on silent and on airplane mode, ensuring notifications don't interfere, before going to her camera roll.

Clicking on the 'videos' tab, she selects the most recent video, which is timed for over one hour, and clicks play. She then clicks the screen and uses her finger to side forward to the bit she wanted, and presses pause when she gets there.

Alex can't help but smile at the begging woman below her who is obviously frustrated by the lack of attention her body is receiving. Giving in, Alex runs her index finger through the blonde's wetness, which she then places over her wet clit, getting a relieved moan in response.

Knowing the blonde is more satisfied with at least some contact, Alex reluctantly removes her hand to instead grab the headphones plugged into her phone.

Making sure the chord is behind the blonde's neck and won't get in the way, the brunette puts the two headphone ends into Piper's ears, and despite the confused call of her name in question, Alex places her phone down onto the pillow next to the blonde's head, ensures the volume of the video isn't too loud, and presses play.

A guttural moan instantly rips from the blonde's mouth, and it's immediately clear to Alex that her girlfriend knows what she's listening to. Although she hadn't yet watched their mini sex tape herself, Alex was curious to see Piper's reaction, and by setting the video to the part where Piper is riding her as she wears a strap on, the brunette knows the blonde won't last for long.

Lying down on her stomach between the blonde's legs, Alex sees new drops of wetness leave her girlfriend's centre, and while she is curious to see if the blonde could come just from listening to the video and not being touched, she decides to give in and do something the both of them have been craving for a while now.

Plunging her tongue into her girlfriend's wet, tight centre, Alex nearly comes at the taste and the sight before her. The blonde's head is tilted backwards; her hands are straining against the scarves, and her mouth is open, letting out an abundance of profanities and moans.

Alex can briefly hear the moaning sounds coming through the headphones, which spurs her on to see the woman below her crumble.

Placing her thumb over Piper's clit, Alex sees the blonde's body arch while she curls her tongue.

"Right there. Right fucking there, Alex. I'm gonna- I'M CUMMING, I'M CUMMING!" the blonde screams out as she lets go to the feeling of Alex's tongue and skilled fingers in and on her centre, along with the sounds of them fucking with a strap on in her ears.

When her orgasm starts to fade, the blonde feels Alex remove her tongue from her centre, only to be replaced by her fingers. She then goes on to feel Alex's body cover her own, and her mouth latch onto the skin of her neck, something that makes her grab tightly at the scarves around her wrists, along with the sudden increased speed of Alex's fingers in her pussy.

"Alex, fuck, I don't know if I-" the blonde moans out, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden sensations caused by Alex's fingers, having just come already.

Not being able to see or hear the woman fucking her, Piper decides to focus on the sounds playing through her ears. Her tactic doesn't last for very long though because as soon as she hears her girlfriend's husky, seductive voice calling her a ' _dirty girl_ ' and saying that her pussy belongs to her, through the headphones, her ball of pleasure explodes.

Screaming out Alex's name, along with mumbled moans, Piper comes all over her girlfriend's fingers as she tries with all of her power to anchor her pleasure down to the scarves wrapped around her wrists.

After feeling the movements of Alex's fingers between her legs come to an eventual halt, Piper lets her back fall back onto the bed while letting out a sigh of relief. Next comes the headphones, which are pulled out from her ears, followed by her arms, which Alex gently caresses,before taking off the blindfold.

Sparking blue eyes meet green as two loving gazes are shared.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks, kissing the skin of Piper's wrists.

"I'm more than okay, Alex, that was... I love you," the blonde says sincerely, obviously still in a daze from the two orgasms she had just experienced in quick succession.

Wrapping her spent arms around the brunette's back, the couple lie on the bed, breathing heavily as their eventful evening catches up with them.

* * *

Blaring music pumps through their chests as the couple walk hand-in-hand into the nightclub area located on the first floor of Red's bar.

"Polly's over there with Pete," Piper leans in to whisper in Alex's ear, "I'll have a margarita."

"Sure. I'll be right over," Alex replies, lightly kissing the blonde on the lips before they part ways.

When waiting at the bar for the drinks she had ordered, Alex sees a man - smaller than herself she notes, stand next to her.

"Hey," he says, looking up at the brunette.

"Hey?" Alex replies almost in question.

"What's a beautiful woman like you doing at the bar alone this New Years' Eve?"

"I'm buying my groceries," she retorts sarcastically, _is this guy for real?_ , she thinks to herself.

"Here's your order, Alex," the bartender - someone Alex knows through Red - says, placing her drinks order in front of her while Alex voices her thanks.

"So the beautiful lady has a name," the man says, stretching out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Alex. I'm Larry."

Looking at the man's hand and then his face, Alex picks up herself and Piper's drinks and walks away, _what a dipshit_.


	24. Chapter 24

**Giving a massive shoutout to the Guest giving me love in the review section! While I'm surprised it took you 23 chapters to voice that opinion, I applaud your commitment. Here's something for you to ponder: remember that it's fiction: check, learn how to use a colon: check.**

* * *

Walking through the busy crowd, Alex navigates herself to the large booth where Piper's sitting with their friends.

"What took you so long?" Piper asks as Alex sits down next to her, placing down their drinks on the table in front of them.

"Busy bar," Alex says, not bothering to mention the man who had tried to flirt with her.

"Hmm then thank you for combatting the business just for me," the blonde adds, reaching her right hand behind her girlfriend's neck, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Hey, lesbians," a booming voice causes the couple to break away from one another, "get a room."

"Fuck you, Nic," Alex says, turning to face her wild-haired best friend.

"I'm not too sure what blondie would think about that, but I'm open to it," Nicky replies, winking at Piper.

"Nicky!" Lorna exclaims, hitting her girlfriend on the arm, "I'm sitting right here!"

"I was kidding," the wild-haired woman tries to defend herself, lifting up her arms as though surrendering.

The large group branch off into different conversations; Piper finds herself talking to Polly and Suzanne, who is explaining the concept of 'the floor is lava', while Alex finds herself talking to Pete, Polly's boyfriend, who is sitting opposite her, about business.

"So I hear your new ads brought in quite a few customers," Pete says, leaning forwards to make sure Alex can hear him over the loud music.

"Mmm yeah," Alex starts to reply, leaning onto her elbows having drained her drink, "the team did a good job."

"Polly was telling me about the pictures too."

"What pictures?"

"The ones of Piper, dumbass," Pete says loudly over the music, laughing at Alex's confusion.

"Ohh," the brunette soon realises what the man in front of her was referring to, giving a close-lipped smirk. "Let's just say not all of them were published for public viewing."

The pair share a laugh at the imagery conjured, and after seeing his girlfriend is still transfixed in a different conversation, Pete comes up with an idea.

"Polly was telling me that Piper's been turning up late to work recently."

"You talk about that?" Alex says, chucking.

"Trust me, mate, Polly won't shut up about Piper being late and distracted all the time."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"I was thinking that we play a little game," Pete says while taking a swig from his beer bottle.

"I'm listening," Alex replies, leaning further forward across the table.

"We have a sex contest."

"What the fuck, man?!" Alex exclaims as her eyebrows rise in question.

"From what I hear, you and Piper get it on all the time, so I was thinking that maybe a little healthy competition could help my relationship."

"Pete, you don't need to host a sex contest to get laid more frequently. Why don't you just talk to Polly about it?"

"That just leads to arguments, and you don't want to argue with Polly."

"Okay, then," Alex says, turning her head slightly to check that Piper isn't watching or listening, "what do you have in mind?"

"First to 10."

"If you're talking about getting laid 10 times, man, then your little game's gonna be over in about a week," the brunette admits, proud at how active her sex life actually is - more so as of recent due to Piper's over-attentiveness.

"You fuck that many times a week?"

"We're lesbians, Pete. We know how shit works."

"I know how shit works," the man says, alternately moving his shoulders upwards to emphasise his point.

"Yeah, you know so much that you're coming to me for a competitive sex game where we see who can fuck their girlfriend the most over a certain period of time, who, by the way, happen to be best friends and business partners."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Pete says, pausing to think. "Just live a little, Alex," he concludes, almost whining.

"Believe me, I've lived," Alex laughs, leaning back so that her back connects with the booth, "but I'm in."

"Really?"

"Well, what does the winner get as well as bragging rights?"

"I haven't really thought that far yet... maybe the winner can-"

"Al, what's the name of that wine we had with your mom?" Piper's voice suddenly breaks their conversation, to which both the brunette and Pete turn suddenly, almost as though caught doing something they shouldn't be doing.

"I… I have no idea. Why?"

"What's going on?" Piper asks, ignoring her girlfriend's response.

"Nothing," Pete says, "we were just..."

"Talking," Alex butts in, "we were just talking."

"Mmhmm," Piper says, kissing Alex on the cheek before whispering in her ear. "Don't wear that mouth of yours out though because I have some serious plans for it later."

Fighting the urge not to shut her eyes and let out a groan, Alex grips the blonde's thigh - that's exposed by her skirt - under the table, squeezing the skin.

"You've got it, Chapman."

When the blonde gives a toothy smile and turns back to continue the conversation she was in, Alex is faced with a surprised looking Pete.

"How do you even do that?" he whisper-shouts across the table.

"Do what?"

"Practically have your girlfriend all over you and you didn't even fucking do anything."

"Like I said, Pete, I'm a lesbian - I know my shit."

"Fuck you," the man says, drinking more of his beer.

"I think that would add another confusing layer to our little competition, wouldn't it? Didn't you hear me? I'm a lesbian, Pete"

"That's not what I meant," Pete tries to explain himself, but seeing Alex's laughter makes him realise he was the subject to another one of her jokes.

The pair continue to discuss how their little game is going to work seeing that their partners can't hear them, but seeing the man opposite her frequently look over her shoulder and then quickly look over to see what Piper and Polly are doing, Alex follows his worried eyes.

She's immediately irritated by what - more like who - she sees, as walking over to their table with two bottles of beer in his hand is the man from the bar who had tried to flirt with her: Larry.

"Pete!" Larry says, clasping his hand on his friend's shoulder after putting the beers on the table before sitting down in the space available next to Polly's boyfriend. "Hi Alex."

"You two know each other?" Pete asks, looking from Larry to the woman opposite him, who seems oddly composed by the man's appearance.

"We met at the bar earlier," Larry says, turning to face his friend. "Pete, I came over here to tell you that someone by the bar was looking for you and needs to talk to you urgently."

"Can't they just come over here?" Pete says, groaning at the thought of having to get up.

"I don't know, but it sounded quite important."

"Shit, man," Pete says, moving to stand up and shuffle past Larry to free himself from the table. "Tell Polly I'll be right back," he says, nodding his head to where Polly's sitting, knowing she won't be able to hear him over the bar's loud music.

"I saw your drink was empty, so I thought I'd bring you over a new one."

"Thanks," Alex says, allowing a beer bottle to be slid over to her, but having no intention in drinking from it.

"So, Alex, tell me about you. You single?"

"I live around here. Work around here. And, no: not single," the brunette replies, not wanting to be involved in this conversation, and luckily she's saved when Piper asks her another trivial question, causing her to turn her head to the side.

* * *

"Al, how much did you have to pay for the..." the blonde half asks, stopping mid-question as she sees Larry - the man who almost completely ruined her chance of initially being with Alex - sitting opposite and ogling her girlfriend's chest while she isn't looking.

"Larry?" Piper asks angrily looking at the man opposite Alex. "What're you doing here?"

"Pete invited me. I was just talking to Alex over here, isn't she cool?"

"You know him?" Piper hears Alex ask, but chooses to ignore the question, annoyed by the man's presence.

"Who, Alex? Well considering she's my girlfriend, I think I'd know more than you," the blonde replies, wrapping her hand around Alex's waist, kissing her jaw.

"Oh you two are going out?" Larry asks, trying to act surprised.

"Like I said: Alex is my girlfriend, Larry."

"Cool," Larry says, taking a sip from his drink, as he moves to get up and let Pete back into his seat.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks the blonde, leaning to her ear.

"Yeah... I just want us to have a good night."

"I am already," Alex says, placing her hand on Piper's knee, squeezing the skin. "Are you?"

"I'm with you, so yeah."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit," Alex says, pretending to gag.

"Shut up."

"Make me," the brunette probes, and Piper does just that as she moves her hand to Alex's jaw, pulling her into a kiss, where she passionately thrusts her tongue straight into her girlfriend's mouth.

The blonde makes sure to put on a show in front of Larry, making it clear that she is very much so taken by Alex, and as she moans against Alex's lips, she hears excessive coughing coming from opposite her.

Turning to face the sound, Piper sees Pete has returned and is staring wide-eyed at herself and Alex, while Larry is fiddling with the wet label of his beer bottle.

* * *

"Another drink?" Alex asks her girlfriend, to which Piper nods, indicating she wants another margarita.

Getting up from her place at the end of the booth, Alex heads back to the bar, which is even busier than it had been before, and just when she thought Larry couldn't be more annoying, he, yet again, appears next to her at the bar.

"So, Alex, how long have you lived around here?"

"Long enough," she replies bluntly, while feeling a question brewing - one that's been playing on her mind since she first set her eyes on the man. "How do you know Piper? You look familiar. Like I've seen you before."

"We met through Pete and Polly one time. Like a double date," Larry says smugly, moving closely to the brunette.

"Is that so?" Alex says, knowing the smaller man is trying to get the better of her. "Well it's a shame she no longer bats for your team. It's a win-win for me I guess," she concludes, grabbing Piper's drink and starting to walk back to their table.

"I used to date someone called Alex," Larry says, grabbing the brunette by the arm.

"Cool," Alex responds, seeming unimpressed by the man's actions.

"You remind me of her... in a good way though," Larry says, whereby, Alex registers, he keeps checking over her shoulder, almost as though trying to get someone's attention.

* * *

"That motherfucker," Piper whispers, looking over to the bar where her girlfriend is situated.

"Why the hell did you invite him here, Pete?" Polly asks, having been given the update from her boyfriend after he returned to the table.

"He was lonely! I did tell him to leave Piper alone though."

"And look how far that's gotten me," Piper adds, eyes still glued on Alex, except this time focused on the spot on her arm where Larry's hand is resting.

"Oh come on, Piper, you know Alex won't do anything. She's gay as fuck… for you."

"I know Alex won't do anything. It's Larry," she says spitefully, turning back to face her friends, "he's flirting with her to get to me, and by God is it working."

"Just promise me you won't hit him again," Polly says, looking at her best friend.

"I can't promise that."

"Blondie hit someone?" Nicky asks, only partially hearing some of the conversation from her position at the other end of the booth, stuck in the middle of a different conversation.

"It's a long story, Nicky."

"Make sure you aim for the nose," Suzanne chimes in, using her fist to mimic a punch, "that's what I learnt in school."

"Jesus - what kinda shit did they teach you in school?" the wild-haired woman asks, yet doesn't seek an answer, as she's elbowed by Lorna in the side, who tilts her head towards Piper, who is evidently white-knuckling the end of the table, while staring in the direction where you can just about make out Alex's presence.

Seeing Larry step across Alex's path, preventing her from continuing her journey - all while alternating with making eye contact with the blonde, Piper snaps.

Getting up from the table, she heads over to Alex, pushing through the crowd of people, as she squeezes and stops in the small space between Larry and her girlfriend, making sure she's facing the smaller man.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, Larry, but you need to quit it," the blonde says, grabbing her drink out of Alex's hand and downing its contents, before placing it down on an unoccupied nearby ledge.

"I get it - I rejected you, and you're mad about it, but I don't want you, Larry. I'm in a very committed relationship with Alex, who I love very much, so drop it," Piper adds, pushing her back into Alex's front, ensuring her ass fits onto her crotch, while reaching behind her, pulling her girlfriend's arms around her waist securely.

"You know we had something, Piper, don't lie and say you didn't feel anything."

Laughing dramatically at the man's response, Piper leans forward and shouts loudly, hoping to emphasise her point.

" _We had something?_ I don't know what you quite remember the first and last time we met, but I remember quite fondly that I pushed you over for flirting with me after I admitted I was seeing someone. You nearly cost me my relationship, so no, I'm not lying because I know we didn't have anything, Larry."

"That was this asshole?" Alex asks, suddenly remembering why she recognised the man so much. "So you're flirting with me to get to my girlfriend," she adds, laughing. "Piper why don't we invite Larry over some time, considering he can't make up his mind about which one of us he wants."

"Ew, what the fuck, Al?" Piper says, turning her head to the side to face the brunette.

"Just kidding," Alex smiles, kissing the blonde's neck.

"Come on, Piper, I didn't mean for this to turn out like-" Larry tries to add, but at seeing Piper attack Alex's lips with her own, and hearing them both groan into one another's mouths, he knows his attempt at getting the blonde's attention has failed. After then seeing the brunette grab Piper's ass in her hands, Larry takes this as his cue to leave, and while muttering to himself about the 'stupid lesbians', the couple remaining are left muttering between kisses about promptly heading to the bathroom together.

Dragging her girlfriend by the hand, Piper leads the way to the busy bathroom, where they impatiently wait in the queue for a spare cubicle.

"Pipes, this could take a while," Alex says, knowing how busy women take in bathrooms on drunken nights out. "Why don't we go and dance?"

"Al, I don't think I'll be able to handle dancing without combusting."

"That bad, huh?" the brunette asks smugly, before continuing: "Everyone will get suspicious if we leave before midnight, Pipes."

"Let them. We'll have our own party."

"Let's at least tell someone we're going," Alex says, guiding the blonde by the waist out of the queue and towards the dance floor where she sees Nicky now dancing with Lorna.

"Nic, we're heading off. Piper's feeling uncomfortable with what happened with Larry and all," Alex shouts down her best friend's ear, receiving a nod and smirk.

"Oh I see. You'll go and comfort her. Here's something that might just help with that," Nicky says, holding out some tissue that she picked out of her pocket. "Open it carefully when you're outside."

Recognising the tissue, Alex hugs her best friend, chuckling at the gesture, before heading back to Piper while simultaneously ordering an Uber ride home on her phone.

* * *

Piper opens her apartment door - the pair deciding her home was more convenient, and quickly jumps on the spot as she attempts to remove her skirt and panties in the hallway after Alex shuts the front door.

"Pipes, wait a minute," Alex says, amused by her girlfriend's obvious desperation. "I have something for you."

"Can't we deal with that later. I need you now, Al," Piper says, not turning to face Alex as she starts to walk up the stairs.

"I guess we'll just have to do both then," the brunette says, staring at her girlfriend's toned legs and ass as she rushes up the stairs ahead of her.

"We need to finish round 1 by midnight," Piper says, resuming her previous task of removing her clothes as she then moves to lie down on the bed. "Alex. Come on. We don't have all day."

"We have all year," the brunette jokes, smiling down at her naked girlfriend as she balances on one foot to remove her socks one at a time. "Nicky gave me this," she says, removing what was inside the tissue she was given that was resting in the pocket of her jeans before taking them off.

"Is that-"

"Weed? Yeah - It's a joint."

"Are you buying drugs from Nicky?!"

"God no! She just gave it to me. It was sort of a tradition we always had on New Years' Eve, but she's got Lorna, and I've got you now, so I guess the tradition's just changed slightly.

"Well I'm honoured," Piper says, while opening her legs, revealing her aroused self to Alex, "but first you have this to deal with."

"On it," the brunette says, putting the spliff on the side while leaping onto the woman below her who she finds impossible to say no to.

"God," Piper exclaims as she puts her hands over her head while resting on her back, covered in sweat.

"Is good," Alex adds, rolling down next to her girlfriend onto her own back, also covered in sweat.

"Was that a new thing you did with your tongue?" Piper asks, turning her head sideways to face her girlfriend.

"Mmm maybe."

"Well I think you need to work on it a little more, so, you know, you can get some more practice hours in there."

"If you insist, Ms Chapman," Alex replies, rubbing her hand along Piper's exposed abdomen.

"We made it in time then."

"Baby, please, I don't think you've ever come that quickly before."

"I love it when you call me that."

"I'll have to do it more often then, baby."

"You're damn right... we have one minute," Piper says, looking at the clock on the television countdown show - one of which Alex moves to unmute using the TV remote located on the side.

The pair sit and watch the build-up to midnight, and during the 10 second countdown, they turn to face one another - naked in bed, sweaty from their adult activity, while smiling.

Placing her hand over Alex's jaw, Piper shuffles her body closer to her girlfriend, before both whispering 'Happy New Year' when the television programme reaches the end of its countdown, and connecting their lips in a sweet kiss.

They remain in their blissful bubble for a few more seconds before breaking away, resting their foreheads against one another.

"What's your resolution?" Alex asks the blonde, wanting to know what she wished for, while turning the TV off with the remote and throwing it to the floor.

"I can't tell you that, Al - it's bad luck."

"Not with this it isn't. You can tell me."

Despite her probing, the brunette doesn't get an answer out of the blonde, and although Piper is well aware that sharing resolutions doesn't cause bad luck, she doesn't quite know how to approach the concept of her resolution, whereby she promised herself to do whatever she could to keep the brunette next to her in her life, no matter what that takes.

Leaning over to the nightstand that has the joint and lighter held hostage and grabbing the items, Alex lights the end of the spliff and takes a big mouthful of the substance, letting out a sigh - not feeling the need to cough as this certainly isn't her first time taking the drug. Moving her hand closer to her mouth again, the brunette takes a second puff, but this time, she moves closer to Piper's lips, who immediately gets the memo and fuses their lips together in a kiss, before opening her mouth and feeling Alex breathe the dense substance into her mouth.

It's in this moment that Piper knows there's no place she'd rather be, and as she lets out a small cough, much to the amusement of her girlfriend, the blonde flips them over, reconnecting their lips, as she moves her fingers to her girlfriend's intimate area, smirking as she feels gasping breath paint her lips at the contact between her fingers and the sticky wetness.


	25. Chapter 25

"6… 7… 8… 9… 10," the brunette counts, chuckling when she finishes counting at the sight before her.

Piper lies flat on her front on a blue gym mat, arms spread out above her head as sweat evidently drips down her back, being that she's wearing a fuchsia sports bra with short navy running shorts and white running shoes.

"Okay, come on - another 10 Pipes," the brunette continues, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Give me a minute," the blonde mumbles into the mat below her, tired from her previous 10.

"Piper, I'm working late just for you – and technically _I am_ your trainer, so I would prefer it if you acted a little more like a client in these situations."

Rolling her eyes, the blonde turns onto her back and looks up at her girlfriend, who, despite acting in an authoritative manner, shows a small smile crossing her lips. Piper does however feel slightly guilty about her intentions in getting Alex to help her work out this evening. In giving her only a few hours' notice, when the brunette was locking up to head home, the blonde called her girlfriend and asked if she could fit her in with a training session that evening, and if she was being honest with herself, Piper didn't want the training - just the company of her beautiful raven-haired glass of water that she had missed since she woke up to an empty bed and a quickly scribbled pillow-side note about 12 hours ago.

They'd been rather _active_ recently – in more ways than one, and the blonde often finds herself thinking of her favourite counterpart in times that, quite frankly, aren't entirely appropriate, such as when she's baby shopping with Polly – something that, while being somewhat helpful should she need information for future reference, has been driving her fucking crazy. Not to mention that Polly won't stop going on about her 'amazing' sex life – something she knows doesn't parallel to that of her own with Alex yet spurs her on to counter attack Polly's stories with her own regarding her private life.

"I'd like to see you try, Al, this shit's hard!" the blonde argues, wiping her sweaty hair from her forehead.

"If you say so," the brunette replies, moving closer to the mat, while resting on her knees at the blonde's feet, before shuffling herself forward and lowering her body, placing two hands either side of her girlfriend's head to hold up her body weight. "You're in charge of counting," she adds smugly, knowing she'll be able to perform at least 20 press-ups in quick succession before her arms give way.

With beaming confidence, Alex lifts her body, followed by controlled lowering, as she performs press-ups on top of her girlfriend's body.

"I can't hear you counting, Pipes," Alex points out through strained breathing as the wisps of hair falling from her tied up hair create a curtain around the blonde's face.

"4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10… 11," the blonde counts, yet eventually gives up, instead choosing to smile and admire the woman above her as well as her physical ability.

"What're you smiling at?" Alex asks while still performing.

"Just the insanely hot woman working out on top of me. No big deal."

"Well, that _insanely hot_ woman is about to hit 30 press-ups, and is going to collapse any second now," the brunette warns, not wanting to hurt Piper if she suddenly drops.

Instead of letting the brunette's arms decide her fate, Piper wraps her own arms around her girlfriend's torso and pulls her body on top of hers fully, not caring about the large amount of air they both expel at the sudden contact.

"Oops," Piper innocently says as the brunette removes her face from where it landed in the crook of her neck.

"Just as I was about to beat my record," Alex replies, looking down at the blonde's lips and then into her blue eyes.

"You can always try and beat another – more important may I add – record," Piper comments, connecting their lips through a smile before Alex can reply, while snaking her hands down to grip her ass.

"Right here?" Alex asks, surprised at what the blonde was proposing.

"We are all alone here, aren't we?"

"Mmhmm."

"Here it is then," the blonde concludes, pulling Alex down by her jaw, plunging her tongue into her mouth, while using her other hand to direct the brunette's free hand into her shorts.

* * *

The following weekend, the pair sit at a candlelit dinner, courtesy of the brunette, in celebration of Piper taking the sole role of manager at PoPi – albeit temporarily, being that Polly is set to go on her maternity leave in the coming week.

"So, when is Celeste staying over?" Alex asks as she puts a plate of dinner in front of her girlfriend, before taking a seat opposite her.

"I'm picking her up on Monday," Piper replies while taking a sip from her wine glass. "I don't want her to worry about how she's getting here and back."

"And you're sure it's okay for her to be staying with you."

"Oh, yeah – the doctors said she's practically free to do anything she wants except flying – the change in air pressure wouldn't be good for her."

"And how do you feel about her staying?" Alex goes on to ask, knowing the subject of Piper's grandmother can be a touchy one for her girlfriend.

"I want everything to be perfect for her, you know. This could be the last time that…"

"I get it, Pipes," Alex interjects, sensing hesitation from the woman opposite her. "It will be perfect. I'm sure she'd just appreciate spending time with her favourite granddaughter."

"I'm her only granddaughter, Alex," Piper replies while taking a bite of food.

"Exactly," the raven-haired woman says, chuckling at Piper's nonchalance regarding her humorous comment. "Let's just focus on getting through tomorrow," the brunette adds, changing the subject to prevent the blonde from overthinking as per usual.

"It won't be that bad, Alex."

"It won't be that bad!" Alex repeats with raised eyebrows, "Yeah because going to your girlfriend's baby shower is designed to be exciting for a busy, successful entrepreneur lesbian like myself."

"Well I don't see what being a lesbian has to do with Polly celebrating her pregnancy," Piper rebukes, wondering what her girlfriend was referring to.

"She's pregnant, Pipes. That takes penis plus vagina to make child, and being that we deal with vagina plus vagina, I don't see what the big deal is."

"Congratulations – you know how a baby is made," Piper replies sarcastically, slightly annoyed at her girlfriend's comments.

"As long as I don't have to make one, that's fine with me," the brunette adds, finishing her last mouthful of food and putting her cutlery together. "I don't know about you, but I think kids are a fucking nightmare."

"What if I wanted kids?" Piper asks, hoping her girlfriend will give a response that will make her less agitated.

"You do know that I don't have a penis, Pipes…"

"Al, that's not what I meant."

"I've never pictured myself wanting or having kids, Piper. Why are we even talking about this? We're celebrating you this evening."

"Mmhmm, that we are," Piper replies quietly, avoiding eye contact with the brunette in front of her while trying to not get too caught up in a matter that is way too early to discuss in their relationship. "Did you manage to talk to that guy?" she goes on to ask, changing the subject.

" _That guy_ happens to be selling some top of the range machinery that you can only get imported into the States, but to answer your question: yes. Yes, I did talk to him."

"And…?"

"And Nicky and I have to go to Germany for a week to look and check the condition of the equipment, which is really fucking annoying."

"The travelling won't be that bad, Al."

"Oh, it's not the travel I'm worried about… it's going with Nicky that's the worrying bit," the brunette replies through a laugh.

"When do you go?"

"Three weeks."

"You're leaving for 7 days in three weeks' time?" Piper asks, eyes wide in question as she finally looks up at her girlfriend.

"Yeah, but I'm hoping we can make it more like 5 days."

"I see," the blonde replies, getting up from the table to put her plate and glass in the sink.

The brunette sits back, perplexed by her girlfriend's sudden change in mood, and turns to see the blonde standing at the sink, knuckles gripping the counter as she stares out the window. Alex gets up and follows the seemingly agitated woman, wrapping her arms around her waist as she reaches her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Piper replies, trying her best not to break out into her notorious full rage of anger.

"You had me thinking that you were mad at me for a second there," Alex adds, peppering kisses onto the blonde's exposed neck and jaw.

The brunette is correct with her assumptions, but what annoys the blonde more is the nonchalance of her girlfriend's display. First she shows disregard about having kids, then she admits she's leaving to a different continent, and then she goes on to show no remorse for her actions in having booked a work trip for three weeks' time.

Piper's never been bothered by Alex's work trips before – she's aware that she has to go on them, but what's really pissed her off is the fact that in three weeks' time it's their one year anniversary of being a committed couple - something she's been looking forward to celebrating with her girlfriend.

"No. All good over here," Piper responds, trying her best to not let out a moan as the brunette's hands travel up her top to cup over her bra while nibbling at her neck.

"Al-" Piper tries to stop her girlfriend, not feeling comfortable with the advancing situation.

"Relax. This'll make you feel good, if not better," the taller woman adds, using one of her hands to fiddle with and open the button of the blonde's jeans.

Despite feeling her body start to melt at her girlfriend's touch, Piper grips at Alex's hand, pulling it out of her jeans and pushing herself away from the sink, avoiding all eye contact.

"Piper?"

"I can't… I'm…"

"You're…?" Alex probes, moving over to where her girlfriend is currently staring at the floor over by the table they'd eaten at, feeling more confused as the blonde jumps slightly and shrugs her body while she places a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm on my period," the blonde says, hoping that her lie is convincing enough as she goes on to enter the hallway near Alex's front door, picking up her bag.

"Pipes you know that it's okay," Alex replies, following the blonde. "We don't have to have sex if that's what you're worried about."

"I think I should just go home for tonight – I don't want to be in the way."

"Pipes, please just stay. We can just cuddle and watch movies in bed."

Despite Alex's best attempts, the blonde slides on her shoes and opens the door, turning to hurriedly kiss the brunette on the cheek as she mutters her thanks for dinner and says she'll text when she's home.

The brunette, shocked by how the planned evening had unfolded, stands at her front door - too late to chase the blonde who is now in the elevator, and leans against its frame, wondering what she said to make her girlfriend practically run away from her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Here's another double update - don't get your hopes up because I can't see too much free time coming my way (I did say that last time and look how far that comment took me...) I'm hoping the ending isn't too cliché, but if you happen to think it is, I don't apologise.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"So are you just not going to say anything?" Alex asks as she sits behind the steering wheel, eyes on the road, yet feeling awkward due to her girlfriend's silence.

"I don't really have anything interesting to say," Piper replies, leaning her head on her hand as she rests her elbow by the window of the passenger seat.

"It doesn't have to be interesting. It could be something along the lines of 'I'm sorry Alex for running away from you last night after you left work early to make me dinner to celebrate my job promotion', or you know, asking how my morning's been, but that's down to you," the brunette says sarcastically, knowing her comment is going to annoy her girlfriend.

"Well maybe I have a few things on my plate at the minute, Alex. I'm sorry I don't seem enthused by how your morning's going," the blonde replies, sighing as she sees the car turning into Polly's road, knowing she'll have to try and not breakdown and make a scene at Polly's baby shower centred around herself.

"Pipes," Alex calls out almost apologetically as the blonde opens and steps out of her car door before she can reply. "You know you can talk to me about your worries," she continues as she exits the car and joins her girlfriend, connecting their hands – the lack of rejection surprising her – and walking towards the front door.

"I know," Piper says, turning to face her girlfriend, making eye contact for the first time that day. "Later, okay."

"Sure," the brunette replies smiling, pecking her girlfriend on the cheek, yet still curious by the blonde's mood.

The tension between the pair has been palpable throughout the course of the baby shower, and as they stand at opposite ends of Polly and Pete's garden, it's the blonde's best friend that finally decides to point out the situation at hand.

"Why are you avoiding Alex?"

"I'm not avoiding Alex. Why would you-"

"Cut the shit, Piper. Every time she looks over and smiles you turn away and avoid eye contact. What did you do this time?" Polly goes on to ask while sipping on her glass of orange juice.

"What makes you assume it's my fault?" the blonde retorts, but at seeing the smaller brunette's serious glare, she gives in, deciding to explain why she's annoyed at her girlfriend. "She's going to Germany in 3 weeks."

"And you're mad about that because…?"

"Because she's not going to be here for our 1st anniversary, Polly. It's like she doesn't even realise she's in the wrong here."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"She told me last night and…"

"What aren't you telling me, Piper?"

"I left straight after we finished dinner to stay at my own home," the blonde replies, looking down at her feet, feeling like a child under her best friend's scrutinising gaze. "She also made some comments about having kids."

"You spoke to Alex about having kids? Isn't that a bit soon, Pipes?"

"That's not why we were talking about it, Pol. It's just that her comments annoyed me, and then she was just so unfazed about telling me she's going away, and she's just acting like nothing happened, and she's just standing over there looking at me like she normally does, and I want to be mad at her, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out."

Seeing her best friend let out a sigh having finished her rant, the brunette chuckles, grabbing Piper's hand and dragging her over to the bar. "You need to be drinking something much stronger, Pipes."

* * *

"So you're telling me you did it at work out in the open?" Pete asks, sloshing some of his beer over the edge of his drink as he moves his arms animatedly in response to Alex's revelation.

"Mmhmm, well I wouldn't call it 'out in the open', but we did do it at my work."

"Hmm, that now makes it," Pete pauses as he pulls out his phone, going to his notes page, "31-16 to you, Vause. How do you even manage that?" he adds, laughing at how badly he's losing.

"Well for starters, my girlfriend isn't a grouchy pregnant lady, and secondly, maybe you just don't know what you're doing, considering you're only on 16 and your girlfriend is the pregnant, hormonal lady," Alex concludes, laughing at her final comment.

"Fuck you, Alex. Polly's just being… well, Polly."

"It's been, what: 5 months since we started this game? You're the one that made the stupid score chart - you should have put more than 2 points per every time you have sex in your own bed, Pete, considering that's where all your points are coming from."

"How about we call this a draw and go for the best of 3?"

"Nice try, buddy," the brunette says, taking a sip of her own drink. "Maybe now's your chance to get more than 2 points, seeing as your girl's coming over."

"We're not finished here, Vause," Pete says as he walks backwards to reach Polly while winking at Alex.

Now standing by herself, the brunette scans the area for her girlfriend, and soon enough, she spots the blonde sitting alone at a circular table looking straight at her, before she quickly looks away – a clear blush adorning her cheeks at being caught staring.

"Hey, babe," Alex says, having walked over and taken a seat next to the blonde, smiling at her counterpart.

"Hey," Piper replies, this time looking up at her girlfriend. "Sorry I've been with Polly and some of our college friends the whole time."

"That's fine. I'm good talking to Pete and his work friends about whatever it is that they do," the brunette replies, innocently placing her hand on the top of the blonde's thigh. "Are you sure you're okay? I feel like you're avoiding me, Pipes."

The blonde, knowing that her girlfriend can read her like the back of her hand, decides that she should be open and honest with the woman next to her – something that Polly recommended would make their situation a whole lot better than it currently is.

"I just wasn't prepared for what you told me last night. I… I had something planned for three weeks' time for the two of us, like, you know, a-" the blonde stutters, feeling nervous all of a sudden at her girlfriend's loving gaze, but is interrupted by a group of people passing by them, indicating that Polly and Pete are opening presents.

"Rain check?" Alex asks, holding out her hand.

"Rain check," the blonde confirms, clasping the brunette's hand and following her to where everyone's gathered.

* * *

After a tiring afternoon, Piper feels increasingly content that even though her plans for their anniversary have been compromised by Alex's work trip, she had received a message from the company she had booked the brunette's present through, indicating that the dates of her booking can be changed. She would have preferred it if they were together for the occasion, but knowing that they're lucky enough to have made it this far is something the blonde has to keep reminding herself.

"Sorry for being an ass last night," Piper says, using her left hand to link with Alex's free one that isn't holding the steering wheel.

"It's okay. You know I love your ass."

The pair sit in silence until Alex's phone, linked to the car's Bluetooth, rings, to which the brunette answers the call using a button on her steering wheel.

"Hello."

"Hey, four eyes, how was your baby busting event?"

"Jesus, Nic, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that?!"

"I'm not here to chat about nicknames, Vause. I rang about Operation 1208."

"What?" Alex asks, confused at her best friend's antics.

"Germany, Vause. Did you not read any of my emails? That's the code for the products we're buying."

"Well, I'm in the car with Piper right now, so I haven't really had the time."

"Oh, hi blondie, I'd love to talk, but I just need Vause to answer her goddamn emails. Vause – make sure you're free because we might need you for slightly more than a week."

"What?!" Piper says into the car's phone system, removing her hand from Alex's and leaning forwards.

"Just read your fucking emails, Vause," the wild-haired woman shouts before she hangs up the phone.

"Alex – what was she talking about?"

"I don't know, Piper, because I'm fucking driving right now. I know, let me just whip out my phone and check right now."

"Al-"

"Or even better, I'll pull over and we can check."

"Alex, you don't have to do that. I was just asking."

Sighing loudly, the brunette turns up the radio then puts both of her hands onto the steering wheel, heading straight for her apartment.

* * *

Now lying in bed under the covers, Piper decides to break the silence, hoping some comic relief will help the situation.

"You got quite riled up in the car earlier, Al," she turns onto her side, putting her left hand under her pillow while smirking. "You on your period too?"

"I'm not, but can we just pretend that I am?"

"Sure. Are we having a non-verbal argument that we both don't quite know the contents of?"

"I'm not sure," the brunette says, mirroring Piper's positioning.

"About what Nicky said," the blonde starts to probe, wanting to know more about what Alex's best friend was referring to on the phone. "Did you check your emails?"

"That I did. I'm screwed. Someone fucked up and they ordered the wrong stuff for us to view, which is why Nicky has named the trip 'Operation 1208' in reference to the stuff we're actually meant to be viewing, and then went on to use it for the subject title of every email I had in my inbox."

"So how long are you gone for?"

"I'm not too sure. I'm trying to get that information as soon as I can to let my clients know that I'll have to cancel their appointments."

"You'll let me know when you do know though, won't you?" Piper asks, knowing she'll need to know what Alex's business plans are so that her own plans for the two of them aren't ruined.

"Of course I will," Alex replies, shuffling closer to put her head on the pillow her girlfriend's head is currently resting on. "We good now?"

"More than good."

"Okay, great because you're scary when you're angry," Alex says while rolling onto her back, looking at the room's white ceiling.

"I wasn't angry," Piper tries to appeal, but at seeing her girlfriend smiling to herself, she raises her leg to rest across her hip, pulling her body upwards. "I was annoyed by the lack of notice you gave me, but I'm over it now."

"I knew you were mad!" Alex exclaims almost as though she had just won a quiz, while resting her hands on the blonde's hips, yet dodges her head to the side as her girlfriend lowers her own to connect their lips. "Oh no, we can't start any of that; you're on your period," the brunette adds, trying to act serious.

Piper, who now realises that her girlfriend knew she was lying about her cycle of menstruation the previous night, gently hits the woman below her on the arm, while telling her to shut up, before creating a lip-lock – something they both moan into having been deprived of one another's intimacy throughout the day.

* * *

Three weeks pass by, and while Alex has been working endlessly to ensure she doesn't have a lot of work to catch up on when she returns, Piper has been working her ass off to pull off her anniversary present for Alex.

Using her negotiating skills, along with some contacts belonging to her father, the blonde successfully managed to plan a present that both satisfied her, and made her eager for Alex's reaction. The pair had stumbled across a great viewing spot by the Hudson River when on a date early on in their relationship, and knowing Alex appreciates viewing nature and the scenic views of the world, the blonde decided to use that as her advantage when deciding to rent a remote cabin in Estes Park, Colorado, for a small, romantic getaway.

It's now 2am on a Tuesday morning, and Piper wakes up to the sound of her girlfriend's alarm. On any other morning, she probably would have sworn at her counterpart, telling her to turn the alarm off and roll over to continue sleeping, but this morning, she has other plans.

It's the morning that Alex leaves for – as finally decided – a week, and, more importantly, it's the day of their anniversary: August 12th.

Excitedly getting up from the bed, Piper goes to the living room of Alex's apartment to rummage through her handbag, where an envelope that she's kept under her guard for the past week is stored. Upon returning to Alex's bedroom, she sees her girlfriend rummaging through a draw, fiddling with her glasses as she turns around having heard footsteps enter the room, _is she nervous?_ , the blonde thinks to herself, recognising the change in Alex's regular body language.

"Morning," Alex says, smiling at the blonde before her.

"Morning," the blonde repeats back, moving closer to her girlfriend; not really knowing how to verbally approach the subject at hand, so she gives over the red envelope she was holding. "I don't know if you knew or anything, but today is… today is our anniversary, and I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because you're not going to be here, but I got you something, but it's okay, we can wait until you get back to-"

"Piper," Alex interrupts her girlfriend while chuckling, creating a pause in her nervous rant, "breathe for me, okay? There's something I want you to do for me before I open this," she continues, guiding the blonde to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. "I know this has been playing on your mind for a while, but I can assure you that I do in fact know what today is, and of course I didn't forget," Alex says, holding out an envelope of her own to give to the blonde.

Piper, confused by where Alex is going with her statement, sees the brunette's nod towards the envelope in her hands as a prompt to open it. Inside is a card with a simple 'Happy Anniversary' written on the front in red cursive, and after opening the card, Piper sees a neatly written message on the inside, which she starts to read in her head:

 _Dear Piper,_

 _While this has been difficult to hide from you, I would take all the non-verbal arguments in the world if it meant I got to see your reaction over and over again. You could say I've done some soul searching over the last year, and in doing so, I think I've found a destination where I'd like to keep myself grounded._

 _So while I am heading out of the country to embark on 'Operation 1208', I think it's only fair that you know that 1208 isn't a product code, but a cover-up for today's date (stupid, I know – thank Nicky). So, again, while I am heading out of the country, I'm afraid that my business partner had to drop out and I need someone to help – it's a two-woman kind of job._

 _I'm running out of writing space here, but let's just say that although my work trip has been one giant sham, this sure as hell isn't, because Piper Chapman, the weeks of stress I've put you through was just a cover-up for this moment, and I hope that you love me enough to not bury me in the garden and blame my neighbour for my disappearance._

 _Happy Anniversary._

 _Love,_

 _Alex x_

Looking up at her girlfriend, her vision moving in and out of focus due to the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, the blonde is speechless.

"Do you not like it?" Alex asks, not being able to judge the expression on Piper's face.

"No. I mean, yes! I love it, Al," the blonde replies while letting out a sniffle. "How did you even manage this?"

"Ah, when you have contacts like I do, anything can happen," the brunette remarks, lifting a hand to push a strand of her girlfriend's hair behind her ear.

"You remembered… from our date you remembered," Piper says, holding up the card.

"I sure did, kid."

"Alex, I don't know what to say -" she pauses, putting the card down onto the bed and looking up at the woman next to her, moving to straddle her hips as she keeps the contact with her emerald eyes. "I don't know what I did to deserve you. Thank you, Al."

"Anytime," Alex says while shrugging her shoulders. "Well, within reason."

The blonde presses her lips to those of her girlfriend, passionately displaying thanks for her present, thinking: _she can open mine later_ , to herself as she's dragged down onto the bed, causing the open card next to them to fall on the floor.

 _PS: It's not quite Germany, but I've heard Paris is a close second?_

 _PPS: We leave this afternoon._


	27. Chapter 27

Approximately three quarters through their 10 hour flight, the couple are both engrossed in listening to an audiobook, sharing the headphones through a splitter, and pausing the audio whenever one of them has a comment or point of analysis. Sure, it would be a boring form of enjoyment to most people, but even at 45,000 ft in the air, the couple are in their own bubble, infused with a feeling of shared contentment.

Being that they're now flying through the night, their first class cabin is dark, sparing a few reading lights visible from some other passengers ahead; the couple sit with a blanket crossing both of their laps – their reading lights both switched off – and their window visor, as requested by the blonde sitting closest to it, is up, giving them a view of the lights floating in the darkness surrounding the plane.

Looking to her right, the blonde sees that her girlfriend's head is lulled forwards, chin resting on her chest, while her glasses are falling down her nose – an evident sign that the older brunette has fallen asleep. Smiling to herself, the blonde reaches her hand up to remove the falling glasses from Alex's face, placing them onto the small tray opposite them, and takes out the brunette's headphones, careful not to wake her.

Pleased that she managed to not wake her girlfriend up, the blonde, not quite feeling tired herself, reaches into the bag resting below her chair – yet again careful that her movements don't cause the blanket to move and stir the woman next to her, and grabs her notebook and an accompanying pen. As she starts jotting down her thoughts, not keeping track of time, the pen in her hand jogs, causing a jagged line of ink to mark her paper while she was transitioning from the letter 'a' into a 'g' cursively. Stilling her hand, the blonde soon figures out the cause of her sudden lack of balance, as, now with evident weight resting upon it, her shoulder is the residence to her girlfriend's head; her blue eyes have their vision impeded by a flood of dark, trespassing tresses.

Knowing that she won't be able to continue with her focus, Piper closes her notebook and slowly reaches forward to rest it, along with her pen, onto the small tray where she had placed Alex's glasses. The blonde doesn't mind that she's being used as a pillow, _interesting role reversal_ , she thinks to herself while trying not to voice a laugh that will wake up the woman leaning on her.

Deciding that she should probably try and sleep herself – _what else can you do when someone else is sleeping on you?_ , Piper pulls the blanket that was falling back up so that it's resting just above her navel, and rests her hands on her lap, closing her eyes.

While she can't find a state of sleep, the blonde keeps her eyes closed, finding solace in being able to weigh-in her thoughts without being disturbed. She thinks about everything from her family, to work, to Alex, to the random miscellaneous articles she had read while commuting around in her daily day-to-day life. Her thoughts are soon put on hold as she feels the woman next to her shuffle, almost as though trying to find a more comfortable position. The movements still and the blonde starts to allow herself to relax again, but her eyes shoot open when she feels a hand rest on her inner thigh – something she wasn't expecting. She tries to not think about the warm palm resting against her jeans, knowing the woman next to her had her hand fall there innocently while sleeping.

Now unable to even keep her eyes shut and remain in a state of relaxation, the blonde feels her cheeks flush at the feel of the brunette's hand moving closer to the juncture of her inner thigh, thumb briefly coming into contact with the flies of her trousers.

Squirming in her seat, the blonde shuffles in an attempt to move the brunette's hand away from her centre, knowing that this shouldn't be happening when her girlfriend is asleep, never mind on a plane. However, as she tries to shift her body to the left, the fingers belonging to the warm hand inhabiting on her leg tightens, securing its contact on the pair of jeans.

Piper tries to take her mind away from the hand on her leg; considering the couple had already had sex earlier the same morning – hence Alex deciding 2am was the best time to reveal her white lies, the blonde shouldn't be starting to feel as needy as she currently – increasingly – is. When it reaches the point when her own body is deceiving her – given the slight canting upwards of her hips as the hand slides lower to almost cover her centre, the blonde reaches her own hand down to grip the brunette's wrist, stopping its movements, yet pushing downwards, almost as though directing it to where she wants pressure.

It's at this point that the brunette feels her arm jolt and her eyes, although slightly blurry due to the missing presence of her glasses, can make out a familiar blonde head of hair while her nose recognises a familiar fruity scent. She feels a weight pressing down onto her wrist – a resistance holding her in place; tilting her head back from where she now realises was resting on her girlfriend's shoulder, Alex can see that the woman next to her also has her head tilted back, however looking as though due to alternative pretences. She sees that her left arm is covered by the blanket resting over their bodies, and when she goes to pull her arm back, wanting to find her glasses, the resistance it was facing suddenly increases.

The ends of blonde hair brush past her face as that of her girlfriend is now facing her, green eyes meeting blue. Piper, who can now see that her girlfriend is awake, bites down on her lower lip, trying to keep herself in check.

"You okay there, Pipes?" Alex asks, examining the blonde's face.

"Hey, babe, you have a good sleep?" Piper replies, wondering if Alex has figured out what her sleep-induced self was doing.

"You can't answer a question with a question," the brunette says, looking down at the blanket. "Do you want to give me my hand back?" she goes on to ask, now noticing that her wrist is being held.

Without giving an initial answer, the blonde again pushes down on the brunette's hand, before leaning forward to whisper in her girlfriend's ear:

"You're the one that couldn't keep your hands to yourself, even in your sleep…"

Recognising the blonde's lowered tone of voice, Alex now realises why her hand is being held hostage, noting to ask whether she had voiced any of her thoughts when asleep – not being able to entirely trust herself, especially when a certain blonde plays on her mind just as much as it does when sleeping compared to her normal state of consciousness.

"Hmm, well I'm awake now," Alex responds, wiggling her fingers, causing the blonde's hips to twitch. "How long have you been like this?" the brunette goes on to ask, sensing the neediness her girlfriend is giving off.

"Since you started to feel me up in your sleep about half an hour ago."

"I guess I'll have to do something about that then, won't I?" the brunette replies, moving her fingers to lower the blonde's zipper, eyes remaining connected as the blonde loosens her grip on Alex's wrist.

Lowering her hand into the blonde's jeans, yet remaining over her underwear, the raven-haired woman can instantly feel the dampness coming from the blonde's centre, something that makes her eyes flicker shut, and her own arousal levels to make its presence known as her lower abdomen clenches.

"Gosh, Pipes. Is this all for me?" Alex whispers, turning her body sideways while moving her mouth to the blonde's ear, nibbling on her earlobe.

"Alex, please; hurry up," Piper replies, lifting her free hand to grip the brunette's elbow, causing the brunette to chuckle lightly while moving her head back, recreating their eye contact.

While Alex moves her hand back up the blonde's centre, lining up to plunge into her panties, the pair are disrupted by the flight attendant who is standing at the end of their aisle, _thank fuck no one's sitting on the other side of us_ , the brunette thinks as she turns to face the woman who is buckling the unused seat belts in the two unoccupied seats across from them.

"I guess I'll have to do something about that then, won't I?" the brunette replies, moving her fingers to lower the blonde's zipper, eyes remaining connected as the blonde loosens her grip on Alex's wrist.

Lowering her hand into the blonde's jeans, yet remaining over her underwear, the raven-haired woman can instantly feel the dampness coming from the blonde's centre, something that makes her eyes flicker shut, and her own arousal levels to make its presence known as her lower abdomen clenches.

"Gosh, Pipes. Is this all for me?" Alex whispers, turning her body sideways while moving her mouth to the blonde's ear, nibbling on her earlobe.

"Alex, please; hurry up," Piper replies, lifting her free hand to grip the brunette's elbow, causing the brunette to chuckle lightly while moving her head back, recreating their eye contact.

While Alex moves her hand back up the blonde's centre, lining up to plunge into her panties, the pair are disrupted by the flight attendant who is standing at the end of their aisle, _thank fuck no one's sitting on the other side of us_ , the brunette thinks as she turns to face the woman who is buckling the unused seat belts in the two unoccupied seats across from them.

"Hi, ladies – we're about to begin our descent to land. Is it okay if I grab that blanket from you?" the small lady asks, nodding her head towards the garment covering their laps.

"Of course," Alex replies before turning to face the blonde, who is now looking at her with wide, worried eyes, as she slips her hand out the blonde's trousers, up her navel, and grabs the edge of the blanket. Giving the blonde a treatment of wide eyes back, hoping her message, one of which is screaming 'zip up your pants!', can be read, the brunette pulls the blanket backwards.

Turning back to face the flight attendant, smiling while handing over the blanket, the brunette says her thanks and watches the lady walk past, smirking at having nearly been caught. Looking over to her left, she sees Piper hosting a flushed look, whereby her hands are resting on her knees, and, to her relief, she notes her zipper is sealed.

"Well, that was fun," the brunette says, putting her hand on top of the blonde's.

"Don't," Piper rebukes, pushing the brunette's hand away.

"What? I was just doing what you wanted me to."

"I know, Alex!" the blonde whisper-shouts, "I just… I just can't let you touch me right now or we'll get arrested for something along the lines of indecent exposure. Wait until we arrive at the hotel."

"If you say so," the brunette replies, smiling to herself at her girlfriend's dramatics.

* * *

"Wait… wait I have to pee," Piper slurs, ripping her lips away from the woman below her, leaning back as the arms wrapped around her naked back loosen, allowing her to get up off the bed from her straddling position and run into the en-suite.

Piper hurries in the modern, expensive looking bathroom, and having done what she needed to do, she gives herself a final once-over in the mirror above the marble sink – pleased with what she sees, and opens the door, ready to finally spend some private time with Alex alone.

What she sees when she opens the door isn't what she had envisioned since her quest for sexual fulfilment had begun a few hours before; lying on their king size double bed is her girlfriend, except her said girlfriend is lying on her stomach, letting out quiet breaths as her chest rises and falls in a perfect sequence; Alex had fallen asleep.

Standing at the end of the bed, wearing just a pair of boyshorts, Piper sighs to herself, knowing she should just let the woman before her sleep, being that they had been travelling for a long, tiring period of time.

Moving into her side of the bed, turning off the lamp situated on the table next to her, the blonde lies on her back facing the ceiling. She doesn't know how long she was lying there for, but her attempts to ignore the pulsing sensation between her legs were failing significantly. Rolling onto her right side did nothing but create additional pressure between her legs, and rolling over onto her left gave her a view of her girlfriend who had since moved onto her own back – a view she couldn't stand given her current state.

Deciding that she can't sleep with her pent-up frustrations, the blonde runs her hand down her abdomen and into the waistband of her boyshorts; at feeling the wetness that immediately covers her long fingers, Piper lets out a sigh of relief, having been craving this feeling since she was left high and dry on the plane.

After several minutes of rubbing along her wet slit, the blonde gives in and strokes over her clit, a movement eliciting an almost painful clenching sensation in her lower abdomen, as well as a strained moan from her lips. She imagines her fingers are Alex's, doing the things she knows Alex loves to do to her – the things she loves to receive; that image alone catalyses a new flood of wetness to seep out of her centre, adding to the sticky wetness oozing over her fingers.

Teasing herself to the extent where she has her free hand grabbing at her left breast while her middle finger threatens penetration at her centre, the blonde struggles to hold in her moans. She should have moved out of the bedroom before she let her actions get this far, yet the thought of getting caught by the sleeping woman next to her is an underlying thrill that she is secretly appreciating.

However, when she finally decides she can't take it anymore, the blonde allows her middle finger to sink into the most intimate part of her body, sliding easily through her flood of arousal.

Letting out a groan – the loudest yet – causes Piper's head to fly backwards, neck veins threatening to burst.

For the second time in the space of a couple of hours, Alex has unknowingly woken up to the sight of her girlfriend having her head splayed back in an act of pleasure. Having woken up from hearing the blonde's loud grunt a few seconds before, the brunette's eyes shoot open as she turns her head to the right, trying to see what's happening in the darkness.

"Pipes – are you okay?" Alex asks, her voice thick with sleep.

"Yea- I'm… just go back to sleep, Al," the blonde replies, stunned by the voice talking to her as her chin snaps down to connect with her chest, looking to see if she's been caught, yet not stopping the slow movement of her finger.

"Sorry I fell asleep earlier," the brunette adds apologetically, shifting to lie on her side to face the blonde.

"Baby, it's fine," the blonde impressively manages to voice without stuttering.

However, as Alex shuffles closer, putting her head into the crook of Piper's neck while wrapping an arm around her body, attempting to get into a cuddling position, she freezes. Lifting her head from her girlfriend's neck, the brunette uses her hand to lift the covers, revealing the sight to confirm her suspicions.

"Pipes-"

"Don't worry about it, I'm okay over here," Piper replies, stilling the movement of her hand while reluctantly beginning to slide it out of her boyshorts, yet her movements are stopped by a strong hand keeping her in place.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Alex asks, holding her girlfriend's wrist – a similar, yet entirely different, situation occurring compared to what happened on the plane.

"I didn't want to bother you," the blonde replies honestly, turning her head to face the woman next to her.

"For future reference," the brunette begins, leaning down to kiss the blonde's jaw, "you wanting this with me will never bother me."

The blonde, smiling at the woman next to her, leans closer, allowing their lips to connect lovingly, while the brunette releases the hand she was gripped onto and starts to relieve Piper of her boyshorts, before returning her hand to the blonde's heated centre, running her fingers down her centre.

The brunette allows two of her dexterous fingers to slide into her girlfriend's pussy, to which the blonde lets out a breathy sigh into the older woman's mouth. Feeling as though she needs more skin-on-skin contact with the brunette, Piper pulls at the tank top Alex had worn to bed, and, despite the slight groan in protest she gives out at the feeling of loss while her girlfriend moves to free her hand to remove the garment, Piper is pleased with the view when she sees the woman leaning above her hadn't worn a bra to bed.

"Take these off too," Piper voices while pulling at the night shorts hugging the brunette's hips, who, a second later, complies and moves into a position where she's resting her weight on top of the blonde, both letting out a moan at the contact.

The brunette, not wanting to make her girlfriend wait any longer, returns her hand to the blonde's wetness, allowing her wet fingers to slide into Piper's centre.

They find a comfortable rhythm whereby the blonde's hips meet the calculated strokes of Alex's fingers, and when the blonde, as a reflex, lifts her thigh, its smooth surface comes into contact with the brunette's wet centre.

"Fuck, Piper," Alex moans, biting down on the blonde's lower lip as her hips, as though with a mind of their own, start to move in line with the movements of the blonde's hands on her waist, guiding her movement.

The couple continue until they reach a shared peak, swallowing one another's moans of pleasure while doing so.

Alex collapses on top of the blonde, head resting in the crook of Piper's neck.

"Who said I wanted to do that with you?" Piper asks when her breathing rate returns to normal, referring to Alex's earlier admission.

"Lucky guess," the brunette replies, her breath painting added heat across the blonde's sweaty neck.

"Considering you're around me 24/7, I think you'll just have to do."

"I am so not around you 24/7, babe. I give you breathing room; we don't even live together."

"Well maybe we should change that sometime soon," Piper adds, subtly approaching a subject she'd been pondering as of recent; they travel together almost every day from work; they have lunch together almost every day; and they even have a full chest of drawers at one another's apartments.

"I don't know, Pipes. I like breathing room," Alex replies in a – what she thinks is a – teasing manner.

"It was just a suggestion… we don't have to-"

"Piper," Alex says, lifting her head from the blonde's neck so their eyes are connected. "I was kidding. I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about it."

"You're not just saying that because I mentioned it?"

"I mean it. Well, I was waiting until after we got back to ask you, but you know, we've been together for a year now," Alex stutters, beginning to ask her question, "and I was wondering if you-"

"YES!" Piper interrupts through a toothy smile.

"Wanted to have an open relationship?" Alex adds at the last second, trying hard to act serious.

"WAIT WHAT?!" the blonde shouts, pushing herself up on her elbows, consequently pushing the brunette backwards. "Alex, no, I… we-"

"Babe, I'm joking," Alex replies, not wanting her girlfriend to think she was being serious. "I was really going to ask you if you want to move in with me?"

" _Fuck_ ," the blonde mutters, lying back down onto the pillow and covering her face with her hands, relieved Alex was joking.

"So…" Alex probes, moving onto her side to lie next to the blonde.

"I'd love to move in with you, Al," Piper confirms, smiling at her girlfriend who pulls her into a kiss. "Al."

"Hmm."

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you too," the brunette replies as they both share a chuckle at the day's turn of events.


	28. Chapter 28

**I know it's short, but bear with...**

* * *

"Pipes – where the fuck is my sports bra?" Alex shouts while leaning over the landing banister down to her girlfriend.

"Where you last left it," the blonde replies from where she's sitting in the kitchen, trying her best to stay out of the brunette's way, not wanting to add to the moodiness she's been displaying so far this morning.

"Seriously, Piper, I can never find any of my shit anymore; you need to be more fucking organised," the brunette comments, making a journey down the staircase to join the blonde in the kitchen, who is staring at her wide-eyed from where she's seated.

"Oh, so it's my fault that you can't remember where you put your things now? I swear you have a thousand different sports bras, Al, how can you not find one?"

Instead of getting a reply, the brunette rolls her eyes from her position in the doorway and heads towards the washing basket resting on top of the kitchen counter.

"You can always wear one of mine, Alex."

"Yeah like that'll fit me; you don't even need to wear one, Pipes. I need this for work," the brunette replies in a tone more mocking than necessary.

"Wow, no need to bring up my insecurities, Al, but that's okay considering you don't have to worry about that," Piper responds while pushing herself back from her chair, moving into a standing position.

"Piper, you don't get it; you just make soap. Today is very important to me and I need to fucking find this," the brunette exclaims as she rummages through the pile of clothing.

"Oh, I just make soap, do I? Well if that's all I'm qualified to do, then you might want to find someone else to help you," the blonde counters before she walks out the kitchen, ignoring the brunette shouting her name along with a list of profanities. "Oh, and Alex: fuck you and your stupid bra," she concludes, storming up the stairs, annoyed that Alex's foul mood has affected her the way it has.

The brunette, meanwhile, stands in the kitchen with a pile of clothes spread on the table, resting the weight of her head on her elbows. In 2 hours' time, she has an important meeting alongside Nicky, and, to make matters worse, this evening Piper and herself are hosting their parents at their house for dinner – something that she's feeling very apprehensive about.

When Alex returns to their bedroom, her girlfriend is sitting on her side of the bed silently applying her make-up, and when the blonde finishes, without saying a word, she throws an item at Alex before leaving for work.

The brunette, looking down at the item in her hands, sees that the blonde had found the sports bra she was looking for, and from the open drawer across the room, Alex immediately feels guilty for taking her mood out on her girlfriend when the bra was in the drawer it normally lives all along.

* * *

Since arriving early at work, Piper has been keeping herself busy – attempting to take on any task that will help her forget the morning she had been having so far. While she had explained to Polly the situation at hand, the small brunette's advice of 'just get over it, Piper', seemingly didn't help, especially as she chose to leave out that Alex had attacked her main insecurity about herself.

By the time lunchtime arrives, the blonde's role is to serve on the tills, yet at the moment, being that people tend to avoid shopping at this time of day, she is bored with nothing to do. Herself and Alex find themselves meeting for lunch on a regular occasion, and being that Piper had turned her phone off to not see any of her girlfriend's messages, she hopes that the brunette isn't planning on turning up.

Her hopes soon went down the drain rather quickly when a certain raven-haired woman entered the store, plastic bag in hand.

"I figured you didn't want to meet with me for lunch, so I brought lunch to you," Alex says, approaching the counter and lifting the plastic bag on top.

"Al, I'm working."

The brunette, while chuckling, looks around the store before replying to the woman in front of her. "Pipes, the store's empty."

Knowing she doesn't have a valid excuse, being that the brunette also knows that Polly is in the back, Piper gives in, grabbing the handle of the plastic bag and walking to her office, jutting her head – an indication for the brunette to follow.

"I'm sorry for being an ass," Alex says as she closes the office door and moves to sit next to the blonde on the sofa. "This week has been stressful."

"Well I just make soap, so I can't relate," the blonde snaps back, wanting her girlfriend to know that her earlier comments regarding her profession were upsetting.

"Pipes, you know I didn't mean it like that," the brunette starts, running a hand through her hair, "it's just you seem so calm about tonight… how are you not stressed?"

"So that's what this is all about? Alex you've met my parents before… many times – I don't think you need to worry about that."

"Yeah, but they haven't met my Mom. You know how she can be," the brunette replies, putting her arm on the back of the sofa, hand resting behind the blonde's head.

"I mean I won't lie and say I'm not nervous, but what's the worst that could happen? It's only dinner, Al."

"We could always burn down the kitchen and postpone. We have time."

"Yeah because that'll be easy to explain."

Looking at her girlfriend, the brunette sees a look of honesty behind her eyes – tired honesty, she notes, and still feeling guilty for her comments she had made earlier in the day, knowing she brought up Piper's main insecurity, Alex feels the need to further apologise.

"Listen, about what I said this morning-" Alex begins, but is interrupted by Piper getting up from the sofa, moving over to her desk.

"My parents are coming at 7. When's your Mom coming?"

"Piper-"

"Alex – I don't have time for this now. We can talk about that later. Just tell me when she's coming so I know when to start cooking."

"7:30."

The room falls silent as the blonde writes down the information needed onto a piece of paper.

"Looks like I'll leave you to it," the brunette says, looking down at the filled plastic bag on the table.

"Mmhmm," the blonde replies, not looking away from the notes she's making. "Thanks for lunch."

"Anytime," Alex replies, knowing that later in the evening, she has some serious apologising to do.

* * *

"Piper?" Alex probes as she walks into the en-suite of their bedroom, looking for her girlfriend.

"I'll be done in a second," the blonde replies, not realising Alex is in the room until her reflection appears behind her in the mirror.

"You smell good," the brunette says, wrapping her hands around the blonde's waist from behind, leaning down to rest her head in the crook of her neck.

"It's a new scent we're trying out," Piper replies, trying her best not to let out a moan at the feeling of Alex's hands brushing against her exposed abdomen, being that she's only wearing her underwear and bra post-shower.

"I like it," the brunette says while moving her hands up higher until they're resting over the blonde's bra, squeezing the skin lightly, "and I _love_ these."

Piper tilts her head back at the sensation, and although she knows she should be mad at her girlfriend, she knows that that emotion won't last for very long; the fact that Alex had thoughtfully brought her lunch makes her heart flutter, while her current actions are making her lower regions flutter.

"Al-"

"Shh, it's my turn," the brunette says, emphasising her point with another flex of her fingers. "I know what I said earlier was out of line and I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel insecure about something I love _so much_ about you. I couldn't care less about how big your boobs are, Pipes, just as long as they belong to you – that's all I care about."

Turning in her girlfriend's arms so that they are face to face, Piper links her own arms around Alex's neck, pulling her head down so that their foreheads are connected. "Yes, you were out of line, but it's also pretty stupid on my part. It's something I can't seem to let go of," the blonde admits honestly, still keeping their heads connected.

"Then it's my job to change that," Alex replies, opening her eyes so that she can deliver a slow peck to the blonde's lips. "I love you, Pipes."

"I love you too, asshole."

"Wow, I didn't think you were into that, babe," the brunette replies, eyebrows raised.

"Shut up," Piper rebukes, gently hitting the brunette on the arm. "Now let me finish getting ready or everyone will get a view of my goods."

"Considering your parents are coming first, that's pretty fucked up, Chapman," Alex jokes, but at seeing the look of warning she's being given by her girlfriend, she leaves the room, allowing her to finish getting ready.

* * *

Half an hour later, the couple are standing in the kitchen waiting for their first set of guests to arrive. When the apartment's buzzer goes, indicating that their first batch of visitors have arrived, they share an anxious look before going to let – who they're guessing are – Piper's parents in.


	29. Chapter 29

**I'm currently going through some writers' block while trying to set this story into its closing stages.**

 **I have another story I'm excited to start working on (maybe teacher-student - opinions?), but I promise I'll commit to finishing this one first.**

 **Keep the reviews coming - a** **s requested, some drama awaits...**

* * *

"Hello bitches!" echos off the walls of the hallway as their guest rushes into the apartment as soon as the door is opened by Alex.

"Nichols - what the fuck are you doing here?" the brunette asks after closing the front door, turning to face her best friend.

"What? No hello back?" the wild-haired woman begins, yet at seeing the angry look from Piper and an equally stern expression from the taller brunette, she drops her comedic act. "Vause, we have a problem."

"Nicky, I swear to God if you're here to tell me that you've lost your office keys again, I don't have the fucking time," Alex says, knowing Piper's parents are expected to arrive any minute now.

Looking at the brunette and the silent blonde, who is now peering from her position in the kitchen, listening to the conversation, Nicky juts her head to the side, "Let's take this somewhere more private."

Seeing her best friend walk off, Alex proceeds to follow along while catching Piper's eye, who happens to be expressing the look of confusion she's sure she's currently rocking too.

* * *

Continuing with cooking the dinner, Piper anxiously awaits both the arrival of her parents and the return of her girlfriend - the latter being the one she hopes comes first.

Not knowing why Alex's best friend showed up unannounced, the blonde tries to not let that ruin her plans for the evening; she just hopes that Alex invests her time to make as much as an effort as she currently is.

Piper's thoughts come to a halt, however, when the buzzer rings; _shit_ , she thinks, really wishing Alex was by her side at this current moment in time.

Taking off her apron, Piper walks to the front door, having already buzzed up the people at the door, and upon its opening, standing in front of her are Carol and Bill Chapman.

"Mom, Dad!" Piper greets her parents, pulling them both into hugs before opening the door wider, stepping to the side, "Come in; we're just setting up."

"This is quite the living space Alex has," Carol says, inspecting her surroundings while walking into the apartment.

"It's our living space, Mom, but yes, it's a definite improvement compared to my old apartment."

"How're you finding living here? Good?" Bill asks as Piper leads them to the kitchen after taking their coats.

"I love it," Piper replies honestly from where she's pouring glasses of champagne, "I practically lived here already, so it feels pretty natural."

"Where's Alex, dear," Carol asks as she accepts the glass her daughter holds out for her.

"Oh, she's just upstairs talking to her business partner. She should be down any minute."

Satisfied with that answer, Piper's parents begin to wander around the lower floor of the penthouse, surprising the blonde in the process that they're actually showing some form of interest in her life.

While Piper continues with the small tasks needed to finish dinner, the door's buzzer goes again, signalling that Diane has arrived.

"Diane! Come in," the blonde says while hugging her girlfriend's mother through the threshold of the open front door.

"It's lovely to see you again, Piper. Have you settled in okay?" the older woman asks while hanging her jacket up on the coat rack.

"There's still some things that Alex and I need to sort out, but we're getting there."

"Speaking of my daughter, where is she?"

"Nicky stopped by not that long ago saying they have a 'problem'," Piper replies, using her fingers to mimic quotation marks. "Hopefully she won't be long, but my parents are here for you to meet."

"Great," Diane replies, following Piper to be introduced to her parents.

Half an hour later, having nearly finished making the dinner, Piper leaves Diane to talk with her parents in the dining room while she goes to find out how long Alex is going to be.

Reaching the top floor and seeing that the room of Alex's home office is shut, the blonde soon identifies where her girlfriend is talking to her best friend. Knocking quietly, Piper slowly opens the door and peaks her head in.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

"We were just finishing up here," Nicky says, turning from where she is standing next to her best friend, looking down at the laptop screen resting in front of them.

"Nicky-" the brunette groans at her best friend in protest without looking away from the screen.

"I have other shit to do, Vause. We can deal with this on Monday," the wild-haired woman replies while walking over to Piper, who's still standing by the door, and leaning over to whisper in her ear before leaving the office: "Good luck with this one."

Piper steps further into the office and pushes the door closed, not knowing what to expect from the upcoming conversation.

"Al? Everyone's here and I'm about to serve up."

The brunette, captivated with what she's typing on the computer, doesn't reply, making the blonde wonder whether her girlfriend even knows she's in the room at all.

"Alex!" she further probes, moving to the space next to where her girlfriend is sitting in her office chair with her back to her, shuffling some paper to sit on the edge of the desk.

"What?!" the brunette asks, reluctantly looking away from her laptop screen.

"I don't know if you remember, but we're hosting both of our parents for dinner, and considering the food's ready and that they've all been here for over half an hour, I was wondering when you'd be making an appearance?"

"Piper, now isn't the time."

"No, Alex. You can't keep doing this. We're supposed to be doing this together and, so far, all the effort has been coming from me."

"I don't keep doing anything," the brunette replies, turning her eyes back to the computer, putting her right hand on the plugged-in mouse to scroll down the page she's reading.

"Putting your work above everything else. Does it not ring a bell? Because it's the reason we haven't had dinner together in over a week, the reason we haven't had sex in over two weeks, and the reason for your persistent moodiness."

"I'm not moody, Piper, I'm just really fucking stressed right now, but you-"

"I wouldn't get it because I just make soap, don't I?" Piper interrupts, getting up from the desk to open the door handle. "Take all the time you need, Al," she concludes sarcastically while leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Storming down the stairs and back into the kitchen, the blonde stands by the sink and rests her hands on the surface, bowing her head downwards while breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself down. Despite forgiving her girlfriend during their prior argument, Alex's recent displays of poor emotional control and her seemingly never-ending stern approach to work has been agitating her. When the brunette gets stressed, she tends to take it out on those around her; in this instance, 9 times out of 10, it's Piper. The plan to host their parents for dinner - a mutual one they had shared - had to be rescheduled on several occasions due to Alex putting her work first, and even when she promised to help and commit to an evening not thinking about her job, the brunette failed - something that Piper is extremely annoyed by.

Deciding that she can't let her altercation with Alex ruin the evening she had worked so hard to plan, Piper dishes up the food and goes to carry it into the dining area, walking into a scene she never envisioned in her wildest dreams.

"And then when I woke up in tree branches with one lense missing from my sunglasses," Nicky explains, using her arms animatedly to aid the description of her story. "Blondie - you're missing out on my little storytime here."

"Nicky can I talk to you outside please?" Piper asks through gritted teeth despite her internal surprise at seeing Diane and her parents laughing loudly at the wild-haired woman's antics.

"Sure thing. Diane: it's been a pleasure, and Mr and Mrs Chapman: don't worry, I'll keep blondie here in check," Nicky says through a smile despite Piper's stern glare by the room's entrance.

"Glad to hear it, Nicky. Nice to meet you," Bill replies while lifting his drink before taking a sip.

The wild-haired woman turns to Piper, delivering a smirk and wink, before heading for the front door.

"What the hell, Nicky?" Piper whisper-shouts when they reach the hallway out of ear-reach.

"What? I like meeting new people."

"What happened with Alex."

"Didn't she tell you?"

"No. She's being… well, you know what she's like when she's stressed."

"You should probably hear this from her; it's not really my place."

"Nicky - you co-own a business with my girlfriend; I deserve to know."

"I can now see where this comes from," Nicky comments, using her hand to scan the space in front of the length of Piper's body. "Thank your folks - they seem nice," she adds as she turns the door handle and steps outside before shouting while pulling the door closed. "Let's just say you won't be getting any tonight, Piper."

Turning to lean against the closed front door, Piper shuts her eyes and tilts her head back, wanting to know what's happening with Alex, but knowing that she has other priorities at this given moment in time.

* * *

After deciding she's sat in her office for far too long, closing the several documents on her screen and shutting down her laptop, Alex stands up, making sure to hide the pieces of paper she had printed in the process, and heads downstairs.

Having been nervous all morning about her mother meeting Piper's parents, Alex felt as though she had new, bigger problems on her mind. Asking Piper to move in with her is something that she certainly doesn't regret, and after nearly 3 months of living permanently in the same space, the brunette is finding it increasingly harder to leave behind the part of herself that is business-orientated and worried about the position and financial state of her workplace. Sure she knows that part of her has been putting a strain on her relationship with Piper, but it's only for a little longer - well, that's what she keeps telling herself.

Upon descending the staircase, Alex can hear the laugh of her beautiful girlfriend. She knows she was an asshole and she's been acting difficult lately, yet revealing the true reasoning behind her feelings just isn't something that's possible at this moment in time.

"Oh so you're alive then," Diane says to her daughter as she enters the room and sits down.

"Sorry everyone. Work problems," Alex replies, looking up from her seat at the end of the table only to see her girlfriend, who's sitting at the opposite end of the table, casting her blue eyes down, avoiding her emerald gaze.

"Typical business owner," Carol comments before going to ask. "How's business going? Piper was telling us that you're keeping busy."

As the brunette starts to reply, she sees her girlfriend move back from her seat and collect the empty plates sitting in front of their guests before leaving the room. Having muttered an answer to Carol's question along the lines of difficult customers, Alex excuses herself from the table, going to help the blonde in the kitchen.

"Hey, what can I help with?"

"It's fine. I've got this handled."

"Pipes-"

"I said it's fine, Alex. Your dinner's on the side," Piper replies bluntly, tilting her head to the covered plate on the table while grabbing the plates of dessert and taking them into the room where their guests are seated.

Standing alone in the kitchen, Alex takes a small glass out of the cabinet and pours herself a drink of scotch from the open bottle that was resting on the table.

"Tough night?" a deep voice asks from behind her, one of which the brunette immediately identifies as one belonging to a male.

"That's one way of putting it," Alex replies as she turns around to face Piper's father. "You want one?" she goes on to ask, lifting her glass.

"I'm not a man to turn down a good drink, Alex," Bill replies, thanking the raven-haired woman as she passes over his drink. "You know, Alex, I'm no expert when it comes to women, but I think you may have done something to annoy my daughter."

"I think I may have done something to annoy her too," Alex replies as they both share a chuckle at the thought of Piper's dramatic nature.

"Just don't get too caught up in your work. Piper's been let down too many times by people putting her second… myself included," Bill adds with a sombre tone, almost as though filled with regret.

"I would never do that, Bill. It's just-" Alex pauses, letting out a sigh before turning to face the man beside her. "I was planning to wait a little longer, but I don't think I can keep going on like this with all the late nights and early wake-ups."

"Why are you doing it to yourself then, Alex?" Bill asks with a sincere tone.

"I'm not doing any of it for me."

* * *

For the first time throughout the entire evening, everyone is seated at the dinner table and conversation is flowing - well, Piper is still avoiding direct contact with her girlfriend, both physically and verbally.

By the time it reaches 10pm, Diane announces she has to head home, stating that she doesn't want to leave it too late due to driving in the darkness, and the Chapmans follow in suit, although they are staying in a nearby hotel as they're travelling to go and see Cal the next morning.

Everyone bids their farewells - Diane and Carol going as far as exchanging numbers in one another's phones, and when the couple stand by the open front door, waving goodbye to their guests as they drive off in their cars, the tension between them is obvious.

When Alex shuts the door, Piper is already halfway up the stairs, who she quickly decides to follow. The brunette then watches the blonde carry out her facial routine from her position seated at the end of the bed, and when Piper shuts the en-suite door from her position on the inside, the brunette lies back on the bed, throwing her arms over her head.

With silence radiating throughout the house, Alex can hear sniffles coming from the bathroom - an indication that her girlfriend is crying.

Rolling over and getting up from the bed, the brunette knocks quietly on the door.

"Pipes - are you okay in there?"

When she doesn't get a response, Alex opens the door slowly, and sitting on the closed toilet seat with her head in her hands is her girlfriend. The brunette observes that her shoulders are shaking lightly and that she's trying her best to muffle out any sound that her imminent crying is threatening to make.

"Baby," Alex begins, crouching down in front of the blonde who widens her fingers, creating a gap to observe the woman in front of her, before taking her hands away completely, revealing her red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"I think you should sleep on the couch," Piper says, her voice roughly unstable from crying.

"I can explain, Piper. Please. I'm sorry."

"I'm done with people putting me second, Alex, so I guess I'll just have to put me first for a change."

"I'm not putting you second, Piper. I'd never do that."

"Then why weren't you around when I needed you? You promised. Was moving in together too much for you? Because if it is just say it, but maybe wait for a time when your mind isn't focused on something other than timetables, night shifts and emails."

Piper gets up from the toilet seat, sniffling as she does so, and exits the room, leaving Alex in a crouched position on the bathroom floor.

* * *

The darkness of the living room provides the brunette with a surprising feeling of solace. She rummages through her thoughts and finds peace with them; fitting the pieces of the puzzle that is her mind together, coming to the conclusion that she needs to act now or risk digging a hole deeper than she already has, afraid she won't be able to climb out of this one.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks for all the - increasingly passionate - reviews on the last chapter. I'm glad that my writing is eliciting some form of emotional response! There'll maybe be one or two chapters after this followed by an epilogue - stay tuned.**

* * *

It's been a week since Alex and Piper's argument, and since getting a call from her brother about her grandmother's declining health, the blonde has been staying at her parents' house. The couple have exchanged a series of text messages in the brief stint in which the blonde has been away – mostly on the brunette's behalf, and after four days of being away, the blonde finally calls her girlfriend for the first time.

"Pipes, are you okay?" Alex asks down the phone from her seated position on the sofa in their living room.

"It's so good to hear your voice, Al," the blonde breathes quietly down the phone, avoiding the brunette's question.

"I've missed you, Piper," Alex admits honestly, and at the silence that envelopes down the phone followed by a sniffing nose, she continues. "What's the matter?"

"She... she died."

* * *

Driving at night through the pouring rain, Alex turns into Piper's parents' road, lowering her speed down the empty road to confirm the house number through her windscreen wipers. When she finally spots the house, the brunette parks her car outside the large house and texts Piper, letting her know she's arrived.

Since the blonde's admission of her grandmother's passing down the phone, along with a period of time in which the brunette spent trying to console her, at hearing the blonde crying while saying 'I need you', it's all Alex needed to hear to drop everything she had planned, text Nicky to tell her that she won't be working for the next week, messily pack a bag, and get into her car.

Getting out of the driver's side, the brunette, having not had the time to wear better clothing suitable for going out in the rain, rushes along the path leading up to Piper's parents' home, and at seeing the front door open, she sees the said blonde start to approach her. Seemingly not caring about the rain, Piper too walks down the path, to which, when they eventually meet, the brunette pulls her into a bone-crushing hug; the blonde's tears blending in with the rain drops soaking the older woman's t-shirt. When Alex eventually manages to pry away from her girlfriend, she takes her hand, pulling her into the house.

It's quiet inside; eerie, and as Alex turns to face her girlfriend, about to start her questioning, she is the one pulled further into the house, up the stairs and into Piper's room.

She closes the bedroom door and follows the blonde who is now seated at the side of her double bed. Filling the space next to Piper, Alex wraps an arm around her waist.

"What happened?"

"They found her this morning; she died in her sleep," Piper replies, before she turns to look at her girlfriend, tears in her eyes. "I just never thought it would really happen."

Lifting her arm that was resting on the blonde's waist, Alex cups her jaw, to which the blonde leans into the hand, feeling comfort from the touch.

"I'm so sorry, Pipes," the brunette says sincerely, looking into the blue eyes before her. "Did you get to say goodbye?" she goes on to ask while using her thumb to wipe away the few tears that trickle down her girlfriend's face.

"I spent all of yesterday with her. It just wasn't enough time," the blonde answers, the stability of her voice fluctuating until she finally breaks, placing her head into the crook of her girlfriend's neck as sobs rip from her throat, tears wetting Alex's skin.

Whispering reassuring words down her girlfriend's ear, the brunette eventually convinces her to get into bed, joining her under the duvet before pulling the broken woman before her into her arms.

* * *

It continued like this for the next week; the brunette being there for her girlfriend throughout the spells of emotional distress, neediness, anger and sadness. This stemmed up until the funeral – something that took place two weeks after Celeste's death, and it wasn't until this moment that the blonde finally returned to their home, having been moving between her parents' house and the hotel room Alex had booked to stay in in order to give Piper's family some privacy.

Piper, with demands from Polly, had taken time off work, and Alex, trying to do everything she can to support her girlfriend, had taken 2 weeks of leave before returning to work with initial half-day stints. It's now been a week since her grandmother's funeral, and although the loss hit the blonder harder than she anticipated, knowing that her grandmother is no longer suffering puts her mind at ease – something she's grateful that Alex has emphasised, along with the argument that her grandmother always has and always will be proud of her and her achievements.

Despite their argument over a month ago, the couple's intimate life has been put on hold. Sure, Alex has been there for the blonde whenever she needed her throughout her period of loss, but the blonde is starting to miss her girlfriend – not wanting Alex to feel as though she needs to walk on eggshells around her any longer.

Leaning over to check the time on her phone that's lying on the nightstand next to her, seeing that it reads 3:06am, Piper fixes her gaze over at the sleeping form next to her, smiling to herself.

After the doubts she had voiced about her girlfriend's actions the weeks prior to where they currently are situated, Piper can't help but feel guilty. Alex has done nothing but put her first for the last few weeks, and at scanning her sleeping form, the blonde feels an overwhelming flutter in her chest at the fact that the woman next to her is hers and hers only.

The brunette is lying on her back with the duvet resting halfway up her chest, revealing the band t-shirt she had put on before she got into bed. Piper, deciding that she needs to _feel_ rather than just watch the woman next to her, shuffles in the bed, hooking her right leg across Alex's hip and pushing herself upwards so that she can carefully straddle her waist.

Placing her hands on the older woman's stomach, the blonde lets out a smile at the feel of her girlfriend's body stiffening followed by returning to its relaxed state; this spurs her on to lower her head and kiss the exposed skin of the brunette's neck.

The brunette begins to stir, opening her eyes and clearly seeming confused at the woman on top of her.

"Pipes – what're you doing?" Alex asks, her voice rough with sleep.

"Shh," Piper replies, dismissing the brunette's protests as she moves to connect their lips, moaning at the prospect of being intimate with her girlfriend after the longest dry spell they've experienced throughout their entire relationship.

The brunette, now understanding her girlfriend's intentions, places her hands on the blonde's thighs, squeezing the skin as she returns the passionate kiss.

Piper tilts her head as she uses her tongue to pry into the brunette's mouth, groaning when she's gained entry, while using her hands to pull at the bottom of Alex's t-shirt.

"Take this off," the blonde says through the kiss, stroking the brunette's abdominals.

Alex, leaning forward, does as she's told, while Piper also removes her top so that they're both topless, only clad in their underwear, before returning to her previous position and connecting their lips.

Both women start to get handsy, and, wishing to progress further, Piper begins to pepper kisses down and across her girlfriend's neck and breasts until she reaches her inner thighs.

"Pipes, you don't have to," Alex breathes out while looking down at the woman below her.

"No, I don't have to," the blonde replies while smirking as she uses her hand to rub over her girlfriend's underwear before pulling them down, admiring the view below her, "but I want to."

Leaning her head forwards, the blonde licks her girlfriend's wet centre, trying hard to not laugh at the view of her girlfriend throwing her head back and letting out a loud, throaty groan.

* * *

Walking to pick up Piper from work across the road, Alex smiles at the prospect of sharing her good news. For months herself and Nicky had been working on a business plan, whereby they planned on joining forces with a budding local gym in order to save funding on the expensive equipment they need to replace, and to also gain new employees, meaning Alex will no longer will have to work as frequently as she currently does.

The plans had been put on hold since Alex's break from work due to Celeste's death, and in experiencing the strain her working life had – at times – put on her private life and relationship with Piper, the brunette decided that this would be beneficial moving forward. The business merger also meant the brunette now has an additional job title in which she manages all of the company's personal trainers – giving her not only status, but a higher wage.

"Hey," Piper says as she walks out of PoPi, having seen Alex through the shop's glass window.

"Hey to you too," Alex replies, interlinking their hands as they begin their walk home.

"Sorry," the blonde says, breaking their hand connection before going on to ask while chuckling: "Why's your hand so sweaty?"

"I'm just excited that our deal was finalised today," the brunette says casually while smiling.

"Wow, Al, that's amazing," Piper begins to reply, not entirely convinced with her girlfriend's reasoning, however. "I guess that calls for celebration," she concludes, turning to kiss the brunette on the mouth before re-joining their hands for the walk home.

"Man, I really need to pee," Alex announces as they ascend to their apartment in the elevator.

"We're nearly there, Al. Just hold it," Piper says, wondering why Alex would voice that being that they're practically already home.

"What do you think I'm doing?" the brunette asks with raised eyebrows as she alternately shifts her weight to either foot before running to their apartment door with the keys as the elevator door opens, much to Piper's amusement.

Arriving in the bathroom, however, the brunette goes straight to the sink, using her hands as support while staring at her frontal profile in the mirror.

"You've got this, Alex," she says to herself. "Don't fuck up."

After taking a few minutes to carry out some deep breathing and collect herself, Alex flushes the toilet and runs the tap, just in case Piper notices that no noise came from the bathroom.

Opening the door, the brunette heads to find her girlfriend, only to find that, while still dressed in her work clothing of a white shirt and a black pencil skirt, she is doing the washing up. Standing at the kitchen's entrance, Alex admires the form of her girlfriend. Her long, exposed legs are toned; her blonde shoulder-length hair is tied up into a messy bun; her shirt sleeves are rolled up, which would normally reveal her toned arms, but are instead impeded by the yellow washing-up gloves she is wearing.

"That must have been one hell of a pee," Piper says having heard Alex's entry, yet not turning around from her task.

"It sure was," Alex replies anxiously, nervous about what she's about to do next. "You need some help over there?" she goes on to ask, hoping that the blonde turns around.

"No – I'm nearly done," the younger woman replies unmoved. "You can give your mom a call though – she rang earlier and left a voicemail."

"I don't really have time to call my mom right now," Alex probes, hoping this will get her girlfriend's attention.

"Alex – it's not like you've got plans for the next few minutes."

"Actually I have," the brunette replies honestly, before becoming frustrated at her girlfriend. "Piper?"

"Hmm."

"For fuck sakes, just turn around," Alex says loudly, her knees starting to ache.

The blonde, after putting down a wet plate onto the draining board, turns around, holding her hands in line with her chest as small drops of soapy water fall onto the hardwood flooring.

"Wha-" the blonde gasps in shock at the sight of her girlfriend down on one knee holding open a small ring box, yet is interrupted.

"I know not everything's been smoothly ran for us over the past few months, but seeing you, hearing you and waking up next to you every day is something I never want to lose or let go of. You are my favourite human being and you are and indefinitely will be the love of my life; my soulmate. So, Piper Elizabeth Chapman, as well as doing me the honour of getting up from this painful position, will you marry me?

The blonde, shocked by the sudden spontaneity of Alex's proposal, smiles as tears threaten to spill from her eyes.

"Yes," she croaks out before clearing her throat, voice filled with emotion, "Of course I'll marry you, Alex!"

Getting up from the floor, thanking the heavens above that she no longer has to hold her position, the brunette's face is caressed by wet rubber gloves as she's pulled into a loving kiss by the blonde, one of which they both smile into.

Breaking the kiss, Alex goes to put the ring that had been burning a hole in her pocket onto her now fiancée's finger.

"Maybe the gloves should come off, Pipes," she says, referring to the yellow barrier preventing the ring from sliding onto the blonde's ring finger.

"Oh shit, yeah," the blonde breathes out as a group of tears falls down her cheek, throwing the gloves onto the counter by the sink.

Alex slides the ring onto Piper's finger, both mirroring a smile at its fit.

"Now I don't have any plans for the rest of the evening," Alex says, referencing the blonde's earlier comment.

"Yes you do," Piper replies quickly, reluctantly taking her eyes away from the latest addition to her finger in order to lunge at her wife-to-be, kissing her greedily while pushing her out the room and towards the stairway.


	31. Chapter 31

The outdoor tent is filled with a collection of people from colleagues, to friends, to family, and as time flies by, the early evening soon transitions into the early hours of the morning. Guests begin to filter out from the tent into taxis or hotel rooms, leaving the blonde and brunette to finally go to their own suite.

"I guess it's time for us to head upstairs, Mrs Vause-Chapman," Piper says from her seat, intertwining her hand with her wife's that rests on her thigh as she leans her head on her shoulder.

"I guess you may be correct with that assumption, Mrs Vause-Chapman," Alex replies, smiling at the woman next to her, which soon turns into a laugh when she's dramatically pulled to her feet.

"When did you get this?" Piper asks, wrapping her hands around her wife's waste while looking her up and down, appreciating her outfit that consists of a white low-cut jumpsuit and heels – something she'd changed into for their reception.

"Something I've been hiding up my sleeve," the brunette replies, smirking when Piper's hands take residence on her ass, squeezing the skin.

Leaning forward, the blonde whispers into her wife's ear, her intentions evident from the tone of her voice: "I have something hidden up my sleeve too for you to discover."

"Lead the way," Alex responds, feeling her arousal levels skyrocket at the blonde's voice.

The pair make their way into their hotel suite, successfully avoiding any of their guests on the way, and when the door shuts behind them, Piper attacks her wife's lips, groaning into the kiss.

Alex, placing her hands on Piper's hips, pushes the blonde backwards into their bedroom without breaking the kiss in the process.

"I love this on you," Alex says while pulling at the bottom of the blonde's red dress.

"Mmhmm," Piper mumbles, lining her tongue with the brunette's lower lip.

"But it'll look better on the floor," Alex concludes, lowering the dress' zip, using her hands to feel the blonde's newly revealed skin.

In becoming impatient, the blonde also starts to pull at Alex's jumpsuit, which is removed, yet as her wife attempts to pull down her dress fully, Piper stops her by holding the dress up at her waist, leaving her see-through laced bra visible.

"What're you doing?" Alex chuckles while biting the blonde's lower lip, wondering why the blonde is prolonging the process.

Instead of getting an answer, the brunette is turned on the spot and pushed down onto the bed, landing on her back, before using her elbows to prop herself up having not expected the sudden manoeuvre from her wife.

"I have something to show you," Piper answers, not fully revealing her intentions, yet, as she uses one hand to unhook her bra – throwing it to the pile of clothing on the floor, the blonde goes on to release her other hand in letting go of the garment hugging her waist, revealing a matching set of laced panties that correspond with her bra.

"Are those-" Alex begins, but is stunned into silence when the blonde straddles her waist, placing her hands on her abdomen, feeling the twitching of her muscles.

"Crotchless? Yeah," the blonde breathes out before reconnecting their lips in a passionate kiss, making sure to rid the brunette of her bra while doing so.

Kissing along her wife's neck, making sure to mark her territory, the blonde groans as Alex hands grab her ass, appreciating the lacey texture of her barely-there underwear.

"Take these off," Alex demands in a low voice, which causes the blonde to pull away from her neck, sitting up and removing herself from the bed.

"Piper – where are you going?" the brunette asks as her wife wanders out of the room and into the walk-in wardrobe where they had put their bags.

"Just getting the essential item for what I have planned," the blonde replies as she walks back into the room holding their strap on – something that makes Alex's head tilt back onto the bed in anticipation while letting out a quiet 'Jesus Pipes'.

Returning to her position on the bed, the blonde places the item down, looking at her wife's form lovingly.

"We don't have to use it if you don't want to… I just thought we could because it's a special occasion and-"

"We can use it," Alex interrupts, lifting herself up slightly with the help of her elbows, yet again. "I'd like to see what you have planned."

Without responding, the blonde descends along her wife's body, using her lips to cover the surface of her skin until she reaches her inner thighs, in which the teasing of her tongue starts to leave the brunette in a state of restlessness.

Looking up at the woman below her, Piper can see the dark emerald irises looking her way, darkening as she hooks her fingers into the side of her panties.

"I want you to be wet enough for this," Piper breathes into her wife's centre once the garment is fully removed and off her long legs, using her tongue to taste the evidence of her teasing – not wanting to tease the brunette for much longer than she already has.

"God, Pipes," Alex moans out as she weaves her right hand into Piper's straightened blonde hair, trying hard to not combust just at the feeling of her wife's tongue.

After several minutes of gently using her tongue on the brunette's centre, Piper reaches for the item resting on the bed next to them, locking eyes with her wife in question, to which she receives a nod in response.

"You'll have to get up and do it though," Piper says, slightly annoyed at herself for not thinking this part through well enough.

"Ugh, if you insist," Alex replies sarcastically before getting up and doing what she was told. "What're you doing?" she goes on to ask her wife who is sitting cross-legged on her side of the bed.

"Waiting for you, dumbass," the blonde replies, gesturing for the brunette to lie down.

Again, doing as she's told, the brunette lies down on her back, instantly knowing what her wife wants when her stomach is straddled.

"Hold on," Piper says while smiling.

"Actually, I think it should be me saying that to you," Alex cockily replies, but is soon shut up at the image of her wife shuffling further back, grabbing the appendage between them, and running it through her – already soaked – folds.

"Aren't you going to take those off?" Alex asks, looking at the crotchless panties.

Keeping eye contact, Piper lifts herself up to get in line with the dildo before slowly lowering herself, moaning out a 'no' while doing do.

Alex, although loving the look of pleasure on the blonde's face, is frustrated by the obstruction to her view. Piper knows she likes a full view of everything whenever they're doing something like this, and as the blonde led up to their current position with a smug smirk on her face, the brunette knows she'd done it on purpose.

The blonde's pace increases; knowing she won't last very long – the thought of legally belonging to Alex being one that turns her on tenfold, Piper rests her hands on her wife's breasts while rotating her hips, wanting them to fall from their high together.

Alex, on the other hand, despite having a husky groan rip from her throat, tries her best to frustrate the woman on top of her.

Placing her hands on the blonde's hips, Alex attempts to slow down her rhythm, bringing it to a weak tempo, while not matching any of the blonde's thrusts with upwards movements from her own hips.

"Al, please," Piper begs when she realises the intentions of the woman below her.

"If only you take those off," Alex announces, looking down at the skimpy underwear the blonde is still wearing.

"But I got these for you," Piper protests, clenching her jaw at the lack of friction she's feeling.

"I love them on you, babe, but right now I want to see you. All of you."

Knowing that her wife isn't going to give in, the blonde reluctantly removes herself from the dildo and, from her position, takes off her panties, before eagerly returning to her position. A sobbing moan rips from her throat as Alex's hips thrust up while she lowers herself back onto the large extension.

Placing her hands on her wife's chest, Piper looks into her eyes pleadingly.

" _Fuck me, Al._ "

Leaning her body upwards, the brunette wraps her arms around her wife and connects their lips, followed by turning them over so that she's now on top.

"That I can do for you."

That sparks the beginning of the several rounds of sex they carry out on their first night as a married couple. It's an occasion that took nearly a year to get to since the brunette's proposal, yet the couple can't help but feel more content than ever.

* * *

"I have something to show you," Alex says, breaking the silence in the bedroom of their private villa.

"Al, can't we have a nap before our next round?" the blonde mumbles into her wife's neck. "And don't even think about giving me the 'but it's our honeymoon' bullshit."

The pair are currently lying naked in bed – the blonde on top of her wife, having arrived in Bali for their honeymoon the day prior, and spent all of their current time in their bedroom with one another. The rising sun is visible through the glass windows of their luxury villa, and in this moment of serenity, Alex remembers a wedding present she had been waiting to present to the blonde at the right moment.

"That's not what I meant," Alex replies, using her right hand to rub the skin of Piper's naked back.

Peering from her position in the brunette's neck, Piper sees her wife smiling, and after turning her head, allowing them to share a short kiss, the blonde shuffles so that she's lying next to the brunette.

"What is it then?"

"It's part of your wedding present."

"Al, it's been a week since we got married. You didn't have to get me anything else."

"I've been waiting a long time to show you this, Piper," the brunette says through a strained voice as she reaches over to collect her phone. "I would shit myself every time you went on my phone because of it."

"This isn't starting to sound like a present, Al…" Piper adds, genuinely confused by the brunette.

"Just trust me," Alex concludes before clicking play on a video that – the blonde sees – had been taken well over a year ago.

 _"Are you sure it's working?" an old, yet familiar voice, comes through the phone's speaker, while a view of the top of their head and nostrils comes into view – something that elicits tears in Piper's eyes._

 _"Here, hold it like this," Alex's voice distinctly can be heard with the then addition of her face on the screen, helping the older person re-position the camera so it's perfectly placed._

 _"Thank you, dear. Sorry about that," the older woman says, laughing at herself. "Piper, I don't know if I'll still be around before any of this happens, but you'll never guess what? Well, obviously you can't guess because I'm talking into Alex's phone, but she's going to propose! When your mother would tell you to not let yourself get stuck at home with some man, I think you may have taken that too literally, but I'm glad you did because I think you've finally found your match after all these years! Your soon-to-be wife here came and asked me if it was okay to marry you, and I'll admit I was tempted to say no just to see her reaction," the older woman laughs into the screen at hearing Alex's voice behind the camera:_

 _"You know I can hear you from over here, Celeste."_

 _"I'm just kidding!" she defends herself before continuing. "All I want to say is that if you don't say yes to this woman, Piper, then I'll kick your ass, whether that's where we are right now or in another life, I promise you it'll happen. What's this here?" Celeste asks as a text notification appears at the top of the screen for her to see, "It's from Piper," she says, turning to face Alex. "She says that when you get home she wants to fu-" the older woman stops reading out loud while laughing with wide eyes at what she had just read. The sight of the brunette rushing over to the phone and swiping up the notification adds to the comedic awkward situation. "Well, Piper, I know that wasn't for my eyes, and I don't know how I feel about it, so I'm going to end this here. I love you, darling," Celeste concludes, before Alex, still standing near the phone, helps her click the off button in order to stop the video._

The video ends and the couple sit in silence. Alex feels her wife's head collapse into the side of her chest and the wetness from – what she presumes are – her tears dampening her skin.

"Pipes… you okay?"

"I miss her so much, Al. She wasn't here to see us get married," Piper replies, lifting up her head, allowing the brunette to wipe her tears away.

"She was there in spirit; she wouldn't want you to be getting upset about it, babe."

"I know," Piper says, turning her body slightly so that her front is in line with the brunette. "Thank you, Alex."

"You're my wife, Piper, I'd do anything for you," the brunette replies sincerely before comically adding, "Well, anything within reason."

"I love you, Alex," Piper says while stretching her neck to connect their lips.

"I love you too, Pipes."

Tilting her head into the kiss, Piper passionately starts to grind her body onto her wife.

"I thought you wanted to sleep?" Alex interrupts, yet doesn't protest.

"But it is our honeymoon," Piper innocently repeats what she had earlier imitated while smiling.

With a sense of ease, the couple melt into one another, losing track of time as they get lost in the unique world they've created together.

* * *

 **There we have the final chapter of the story!**

 **Thank you to everyone who showed the story major love over these last few months - it's been very much appreciated.**

 **I'll come back to write an epilogue when the time feels right, but, in the meantime, check out my new story: _Between The Lines_ , if you haven't already done so. **

**Thanks again.**


	32. Chapter 32

**As promised, here's the awaited epilogue...**

* * *

' _I'll be done by lunchtime, Pipes. Can't you wait?_ '

Alex types into an email to send to her wife from where she's seated at the desk in her office.

' _Al - I don't think I can. Please.'_ Pops up onto the brunette's computer screen not even a minute after sending her message, and in being that she doesn't have any clients for the rest of the day, Alex decides to play with her wife.

' _Why do I have to come to you?_ _You have legs._ '

' _I don't think I'll be able to._ '

Alex, not wanting to give in too soon, has an idea, and in reaching for her rucksack on the floor, she opens the front pocket and takes out her USB stick. Plugging the stick into her computer, Alex saves an item to her desktop and then goes to reply to her wife's email.

Opening the attachments bar, the brunette selects the computer's new item and waits for it to save to the email. When it finishes loading, she sends the message, before typing ' _I'm sure you've got this, Pipes._ '

Alex spins in her chair and peers out her window, looking into the opposite one to try and see her wife. Being that the blonde had her blinds pulled up, the brunette observes Piper - her view being the back of her head - click onto the attachment and immediately - in what looks like a sudden panic - close it back down hurriedly.

The blonde then herself turns around to look at her wife through the window, only to be faced with a view of the brunette laughing from her office, obviously pleased with herself.

' _Probably should have mentioned that you might need to plug in your headphones…_ ' Alex sends, only to see her wife's head turn, read the message, and then return to the window, giving a look that screams 'really?'

While the brunette is finding the situation comical - who wouldn't find sending your significant other a segment of your sex tape via email when you can watch them open it through your office window funny?, a ' _Fuck you_ ' appears on her screen, which only adds to her loud laughter.

The blonde had been sending her wife flirtatious emails throughout the entire morning they had been at work, and being that their intimate shower was interrupted by the ringing of their doorbell before they had left for work, Piper wanted to let her wife know she was still longing for her. Alex, on the other hand, was enjoying making the blonde wait, and with the hopes of continuing what had prior started in the shower when they get home, she wants to rile the younger woman up, leaving her desperate.

The sound of her office phone ringing pulls the brunette out of her thoughts, to which she rolls back over to her desk to answer the call.

"Hello,"

"Alex, please I need you to come over here," Piper immediately pleads down the phone, dismissing her wife's greeting.

"Pipes - can't you wait a few more hours? I'm trying to do some spreadsheets over here," the brunette asks, wanting to keep the blonde waiting.

"I don't think I can. I can't focus on anything I'm meant to be doing right now."

"Well try harder then."

"Alex - please. I'm so wet for you right now."

"Ugh, can't you just give me half an hour?"

"Al-."

"Why don't you just go do it yourself in the staff bathroom?"

"I want you to do it," Piper says, "and I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, no. You can't play the ' I have a surprise' card with me. That's not fair."

"What isn't fair, Al:" the blonde begins with a flirtatious tone, "the fact that you won't be the first one apart from me to know the surprise, or the fact that you're missing an opportunity to fuck me on my desk?"

"What do you mean the first one to know apart from you?"

"Well I obviously know what the surprise is, so you'll be the next - and therefore the second - person to know."

"And then you're going to share it with others?" Alex probes, her eyes squinting while she delivers the question.

"When the time's right, yeah."

Alex drops the phone and stands up from her chair, before turning around to look at the blonde through the window, who is holding the phone to her ear with a wide smile on her face. In a hurry, the brunette rushes out of her office, down the staircase, and out onto the street to cross and enter PoPi.

Running into the store, Alex greets Polly before heading through the 'staff only' door and up the stairs to Piper's office. The door is slightly ajar, and in pushing it further open, Alex leans over - tired from double-stepping the stairs, as she lets out heavy, panting breaths.

"Are you okay?" Piper asks, standing up and walking around to the front of her desk.

"It worked?" Alex counters in question, ignoring what her wife asked as she closes over the office door and returns to her regular posture. "I mean that is what you were talking about over the phone, right?"

"Did you run here?"

"Kind of. I needed to know what you were referring to. If it's what I think it is."

"How chivalrous of you," Piper adds while smiling, holding out a small object in her hand towards her wife.

Alex, wanting to confirm her suspicions, walks over to the blonde, grabbing the item from her hand and thoroughly examining its contents.

"So, you're…"

"Pregnant? Yes, Alex, I am," the blonde answers while watching her stunned wife take in the moment as she inspects the white stick in her hands that shows two clear lines. "I took two others and they all said the same. I know we were going to wait to check and find out, but I couldn't stop thinking about it."

The brunette lets out a chuckle, eyes glossing over, as she envelopes her wife into a hug.

"So you're currently growing a little human?!" Alex exclaims while pulling away from the hug, making the blonde chuckle while cupping her wife's cheeks with her hands.

"I'm currently growing _our_ little human, Al," Piper says aloud for the first time - something that catalyses the formation of her own onset of emotion along with a toothy smile.

"I can't believe it finally worked," Alex voices, looking down at her wife's stomach.

"Well after the other 2 attempts, I can't really believe it either."

With mirrored smiles, the pair lean in and connect their lips, elated by the news, and as Alex remembers the earlier messages from her wife, she lifts the blonde on top of the desk, ensuring she wasn't sitting on anything important.

"I think this calls for a celebration, Mrs Vause-Chapman," Alex mumbles into the kiss, fiddling with the button on the blonde's jeans.

"I believe it does, Mrs Vause-Chapman," Piper replies, letting out a groan when a hand slips into her underwear.

It's in this moment that both women are not only grateful that the office door is closed, but for the fact that they both happened to work the same late evening shift several years ago.

* * *

 **So I guess I can now officially say I've finished this story!**

 **It's the first I've written, so I hope my writing technique has been bearable, and that the story wasn't too cliché compared to what you've normally read. I've tried to be creative, but, then again, you can't please everyone.**

 **Thanks for all the kind comments - it's been very much appreciated.**

 **All the best for 2019.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hello everyone!**

 **I'd debated for a while whether I wanted to continue this and write some more domestic-orientated chapters, and here we are.**

 **I'm not too sure how much or how long of a 'sequel' this will be, but I've decided to carry it on from here and not start a new story considering how many of you interacted with the initial one, and I wouldn't want you to miss out on its continuation.**

 **Please let me know if you have any ideas as to what you'd like to see - writing a domestic story isn't something I've ever really touched upon before.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Caving In: An Endless** **Obsession**

* * *

"Al?" Piper whispers as she closes over the front door, taking off her beige trench coat while doing so. "Alex?" she whispers again, this time removing her shoes from her feet.

"Hey," the brunette voices as she appears in the hallway, throwing the tea towel in her hand over her shoulder.

The blonde, not bothering to offer any form of verbal response, rushes over to her wife and connects their lips together, immediately changing the angle as she moans at the feeling of Alex's lips on hers for the first time in hours.

"Mmm, Pipes," the brunette groans, trying to break away from her wife's grip while laughing.

"How long do we have?" Piper asks, dismissing any of Alex's protests.

"Maybe an hour or so," the taller woman guesses, not having another moment of thought before she's grabbed by the hand and dragged towards their bedroom.

It's clear that Piper has a one track mind as to what she wants to spend their time doing, and as they arrive in the bedroom, the blonde pushes Alex down so that she's seated on the edge of the bed, before proceeding to start unbuttoning the buttons on her white shirt, untucking it from her black pencil skirt while doing so.

"I'm going to need you to fuck me, Al," Piper voices in a low tone, not offering any form of explanation; given the look in the brunette's eyes, it's clear that she didn't even need to give one.

Stepping forward so that she's now at the front of the bed, the blonde widens her legs to straddle her wife's hips, placing her hands on either side of the seated woman's face to return their lips into a heated kiss.

Alex, meanwhile, places her hands on Piper's hips, gripping at the material covering her skin, and after feeling a puddle growing between her legs, the brunette doesn't know how long she's going to be able to wait before she _really_ gets her hands on her wife.

With their lips still messily moving against one another, Piper moves her hands down to bunch her skirt up by her waist, revealing her lack of underwear - something she had removed before getting out of the car prior to returning home.

"I need you, Al," she voices, grabbing her wife's hand and directing it towards her - more than ready - centre.

"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" Alex asks, smiling into the blonde's neck as she lightly nibbles on the skin at the feel of the wetness covering her fingers.

"God yes," the blonde responds, her eyes closing over and hips jutting forwards at the contact. "And I know you have too," she continues, grabbing her wife's chin with her right hand, "so fuck me, Alex."

Not being able to deny the truth behind the blonde's comment, Alex lines a finger with the source of Piper's wetness before slowly entering, making sure to watch for any sign of discomfort on the shorter woman's face while doing so.

"Fuck, Alex," Piper moans out, her head tilting back at the feeling of finally being filled once the brunette's middle finger finally maxes out below her knuckle.

"You okay?" the brunette asks, wanting to make sure her wife feels good enough to continue.

"Yeah," Piper pants out while looking into Alex's darkened green eyes. "Perfect," she adds, lifting up her body - a sign that she's more than happy to control the pace for the time being.

The air around them is filled with drawn-out panting from the moving blonde, and after a couple of minutes, it doesn't take long before she demands more from her wife, positively showing how grateful she is when a second, dexterous finger is added into the mix.

"Oh, fuck yes, Alex," Piper moans against her wife's opened mouth, placing her hands on her shoulders to act as an anchor for the increasing movements of her hips as she rides the brunette's fingers.

"You're so tight, Pipes," Alex groans in retaliation, revelling in the feeling of her fingers being sucked in due to her wife's growing desire.

"I'm close," the blonde moans out, resting her sweaty forehead against Alex's.

Moving her free hand down from where it was resting on Piper's waist to her ass, Alex squeezes the skin, causing the blonde's body to move at an even faster rate - proving her prior words to be true. Meanwhile, with the otherwise occupied hand, Alex curls her fingers to aid her wife's movements, all the while she raises her thumb, meaning that when she next carries out a downwards movement, the blonde will feel a heightened sense of stimulation on her exposed clit.

"FUCK ALEX, I'M CUMMING! I'M CUMMING!" Piper shouts out once she impales herself in a downwards motion for the final time; head flying backwards while her body stiffens up, the blonde's body begins to twitch as her powerful orgasm rips through her.

"Good?" Alex asks after several minutes once the blonde's forehead once again rests against her own.

"God, I've been waiting to do that for so long," Piper smiles, rubbing her hands along Alex's broad shoulders.

"I could've guessed," the brunette responds, mirroring a smile. "And it looks like we might have some more time, Mrs Vause-Chapman," she adds, placing both hands on the blonde's lower back.

"I like where you're going with that," Piper says, leaning down to connect their lips in a more chaste-like kiss.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Alex comments as she watches Piper pull away, turning her head around to listen to the sound echoing around the apartment. "He took forever to go down," she adds, tilting her head back as she closes her eyes over, almost as though preparing herself for what's bound to come next.

"I'll go," the blonde says, pushing down on her wife's shoulders to prevent her from getting up. "We'll continue this later," she concludes before rising from her position, pulling her skirt back down, buttoning her shirt back up, and leaving the room.

Flopping back onto the mattress, Alex smiles into the ceiling. She'd taken the day off work so that Piper could get her stitches checked for the final time, and in receiving a text message from the blonde earlier that day letting her know she'd been given the all clear, the brunette felt relief wash over her. She did also happen to feel a sudden wave of excitement course through her body knowing that her wife would have too been cleared for most forms of physical activity - something both women had been craving since Piper had given birth nearly 2 months prior.

The blonde's pregnancy had been a stressful ordeal for both women, and although watching her wife battle fluctuating hormones, extreme cravings and irritating mood swings was at times challenging, Alex would consider doing it all again if it meant they'd have another little bundle of joy entering their lives.

Jaxson Charlie Vause-Chapman was born mid January, and although the couple found themselves debating to and fro over what to name their child, they decided to compile a list of names for both boys and girls and decide after Piper had given birth - especially as the baby's gender was something they'd chosen to keep as a surprise.

The blonde had also insisted on giving their child a middle name, and despite her initially voicing that she found the idea somewhat cringy, she eventually caved in to Alex's idea of having a middle name in memory of her late grandma, Celeste - well, a name that they liked that happened to pose some similarities.

From where she's currently still lying on their bed, Alex can hear Piper's high-pitched voice talking to their son, and as much as she loves to point it out, seeing her wife's natural maternal side is something that she can't seem to get enough of. Hearing footsteps come down the hall and the calling of her name, Alex sits up to eye the blonde in the hallway holding their baby in her arms.

"I'm just gonna go feed him," the blonde voices, bouncing the boy in her arms.

"Let me know if you need anything," Alex says, grinning at the little boy's gummy smile.

"Say bye to Mommy," Piper says, gently holding the little boy's hand and waving it in Alex's direction, laughing at the happy expression covering their son's face.


	34. Chapter 34

**I'm glad continuing this has elicited a positive reaction!**

 **Please let me know some kind of things you'd like to see, as I'm not really too sure where I want to take this...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _6 months later:_

"Where's his blanket?" Piper asks, running around in and out of the rooms upstairs.

Alex, meanwhile, is standing in the kitchen, Jaxon in her arms, chuckling at her wife's rather dramatic panic.

"Alex I'm being serious," she hears the blonde shout from upstairs - her temper increasing.

"Have you checked by the basket in our room?" Alex shouts back in question, only to receive an aggressive comment from her wife letting her know she'd already checked there 5 minutes ago.

"I think your mom's losing it, buddy," the brunette says to the small boy in her arms. "We should probably go and help," she smiles, using her index finger to tickle her son's belly.

Upon her ascent up the stairs, Alex can hear her wife huffing out of frustration, and when she hears a loud shout of 'motherfucker' ring out, she closes over her eyes for a brief second to try and brace herself for the foul mood in which she knows Piper is going to be in.

Entering their bedroom, the brunette watches her wife frantically searching for their son's navy blanket by the side of their bed, resting on her knees on the floor. Observing the contents of the room, Alex's eyes immediately search for the place in which she knows she had last seen the blue blanket, and despite asking the stressed blonde if she had looked in that particular place earlier, she sees that resting underneath a pillow that must have been thrown from the bed is the item in question.

"Alex- are you going to just stand there and watch or actually help me look?" Piper asks sharply, sensing her wife's presence in the room.

"I thought I was the blind one," the brunette comments, walking over to the wooden basket in which they keep some work items to retrieve the blanket.

"Al, I'm not in the mood to joke arou-" the blonde begins, but stops what she was saying once she turns around and sees her wife holding their son in one arm and the blanket she had been searching for for the last 15 minutes in the other.

"By the basket," Alex reveals, trying hard to not sound smug.

Slouching more so that she's now sitting back on her heels, Piper looks down at the floor, letting out a heavy sigh. Placing her arms onto the side of the bed, she pushes herself back up into a standing position.

"Sorry," she comments, finding it hard to make eye contact with the woman before her.

"Hey," Alex says, taking a few steps closer. "You don't have anything to worry about. He's staying at your parents' for just over a week, not twelve years," she chuckles, watching her wife raise her hands to rub her temple out of embarrassment.

"I know," the blonde begins, finally looking up to brush back the blonde hair on her son's head. "I just want him to be comfortable considering it's his first time staying the night somewhere that isn't here."

"I get that," Alex voices, having also felt the same way a few days ago, "but he loves your mom and dad. I bet time will fly by."

"It better," Piper responds before looking into her wife's eyes. "Thank you."

"Anytime," the brunette smiles, deciding that further teasing her wife isn't the best of ideas. "Are you ready to go?" she asks, handing the blanket over to the blonde and adjusting the boy in her arms.

"Yeah," Piper voices, beginning to fold the item in her hands. "Wait," she says, causing her wife to turn back around from where she was moving to leave the room.

"Hmm," the brunette mumbles, raising her eyebrows in question.

Stepping forward, Piper places a kiss onto Alex's lips, careful to not get too carried away given that their son is present.

"Now you're good to go."

"Smooth, Chapman," Alex laughs, turning to go back down the stairs.

"It's Vause-Chapman," the blonde shouts down to her retreating wife. "I thought you might have known that considering we're married and all," she adds, rolling her eyes.

* * *

In two day's time, it would be Alex and Piper's 2nd wedding anniversary, and as a kind gesture, the blonde's parents had offered to look after their grandson so that the women could book the 10 holiday they had planned since the blonde was pregnant.

Grabbing the rare alone time with both hands, the women had booked a trip to Hawaii, and although the thought of not being with their nearly 9 month old son throughout the time was a worrying thought for both parties, Carol and Bill Chapman gave them no real choice, as with a surprise gesture, they paid for an upgrade on the women's hotel room, telling them that no refunds were available.

So where they're currently in the car with their son, Piper tries her very best to not overthink leaving her son with her family while she goes off to relax with her wife.

"You okay?" Alex asks quietly, her vision remaining locked on the road ahead of them.

"Yeah," the blonde responds, smiling although it doesn't reach her eyes.

"I can tell you're lying, Pipes," the brunette prompts, placing a hand on her wife's knee as the car stops at a red light. "I don't want to leave him either, but we deserve a little break, don't you think?"

"I know we do," she pauses, turning her head to look into Alex's green eyes that scream reassurance. "I just don't know what to do; I've never felt like this before."

"You have a lifetime to figure that out, babe," the brunette says, squeezing the blonde's knee before removing her hand and placing it back onto the steering wheel.

By the time they find themselves parking up on Carol and Bill Chapman's driveway, Piper begins to feel her palms sweat. She watches Alex deliver a soft smile her way before getting out of the car and begin to stretch her arms above her head; if it weren't for the fact that she was battling her inner conflicting emotions, the blonde would have found the sight of the slither of her wife's stomach endearing, but as she then watches the tall woman open the back door to take their son out of his car seat, her thoughts immediately go back to her pile of worries.

When she gets outside the car and takes their son off Alex's hands so that she can take his bags out of the boot of the vehicle, Piper sees that the front door to her parents' home is already open, and that her mother is occupying the space with a smile on her face.

"There's my grandson," she voices with a high-pitched intonation, waving at the little boy in Piper's arms.

"Look Jax: it's grandma," Piper says, rubbing her right index finger over his chubby cheek although his vision is locked on Alex's approaching form over her shoulder.

"Hey Carol," the brunette says, standing next to her wife holding a small childrens suitcase in one hand and holding up a rucksack over her shoulder in the other.

"Hello Alex," she smiles, looking away from her grandson over to her daughter-in-law. "Come in, come in," she says to the women, stepping back to create a space for them to enter the house. "Bill," she shouts loudly to her husband, "they're here."

"I guess it's my turn to get a hello?" the younger blonde asks in question to her mother, receiving a smile as she leans over to kiss her daughter on the cheek.

"Of course, it's good to see you all here, Piper. How've you been?"

"Good. Tired," she responds to her mother.

"There's the little one," Bill's voice rings out as he begins to descend the stairs, taking off his glasses and hooking them into the front pocket of his white shirt. "He's looking bigger since we last saw him," he adds, joining the women in the hallway.

Piper has to try hard to fight back a toothy smile as she looks over at her wife - both women reading each other's minds at the shock in how the blonde's parents have seemed to suddenly be more invested in their little family now that they have a child.

"How're you two doing? Excited for some free time?" he chuckles, finally acknowledging his grandson's parents.

"Oh I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep," Alex responds, causing her in-laws to laugh, obviously understanding what it's like considering they have 3 children of their own.

"You'll get used to it," Carol adds, before starting to walk further into the house. "Just wait until your next one, that's when the world of parenting really changes."

The comment causes Alex's eyebrows to rise - not having even thought about such a thing, while Piper, meanwhile, seems to have taken no notice of her mother's comment, leading for the brunette to question whether it's something her wife has already considered and tried to hide, or that she genuinely didn't hear what had been said.

"Mom did you move the sharp things out of the way like I asked?" Piper says in question as she follows her mother into the kitchen, leaving Alex alone with her father.

"How's she really been?" Bill asks, folding his arms as he watches his daughter disappear from view.

"She cried when she woke up this morning, threw a tantrum when she couldn't find his blanket, and spaced out in the car like he was moving away for college or something. So, I'd say she's hanging in there pretty strong," Alex concludes, chuckling as the man next to her rolls his eyes, fully aware of how dramatic his daughter can be.

"And you?"

"To be honest, I'm kind of looking forward to not panicking every time Piper asks for me to help with something and actually being able to get a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep," she replies, adjusting her glasses on the top of her nose. "That sounds pretty bad, doesn't it?"

"Of course not," the grey-haired man begins, placing his hand on the brunette's shoulder. "You're both doing just fine, Alex. I'm surprised you've both lasted just over 8 months without needing some form of a break."

"Thanks, Bill," she smiles, before their conversation is interrupted by the sound of Carol calling for her husband.

"Just letting you know that that panic never goes away," he smiles, alluding to the brunette's previous comment as he moves to go and see what his wife wants. "You can put them in the spare room upstairs," he adds, referencing to the bags Alex is still holding.

Despite the many times she's been to her wife's childhood home throughout their relationship, Alex always finds herself somewhat out of her comfort zone based upon her surroundings. The items in the rooms are worth more than she could ever afford, and no matter how many times she's stayed in the house, she always finds herself getting lost in the maze that is Carol and Bill Chapman's home.

Eventually finding what is deemed the 'spare room', Alex places down her son's belongings - smirking as she remembers Piper writing a checklist of items to make sure everything was packed, and heads back downstairs to join the others, bracing herself for what's bound to be an emotional goodbye.

It's another half an hour before the couple finally leave the Chapman house, and although she can tell it was a difficult moment for Piper to hand her son over to her parents to look after for just over a week, the brunette is surprised that the blonde had managed to keep her emotions in check. Well, up until now.

As they get into the car and fasten their seat belts, from her peripheral vision, Alex observes her wife raising a hand to her eye, clearly wiping away a falling tear.

"Pipes," the brunette whispers, not wanting her wife to feel embarrassed at the fact that she's crying.

In what is a clear attempt at avoiding having a conversation, the blonde finally loses it and as places both hands over her face while lowering her head; her shoulders begin to shake lightly, and the sound of her sobs begin to fill the car.

"Come here," the brunette adds, running her hand around her wife's neck and pulling her body in for a hug - something the blonde accepts, yet continues to cry into the brunette's collar bone. "Why're you crying?" she asks in what she thought was a comforting manner, but as she hears her wife's breathing sound more out of control, Alex immediately knows better than to try and converse with the crying woman at this given moment in time.

It takes another minute before Piper pulls back, her eyes swollen from crying and her cheeks flushed rose in colour.

"I feel so stupid for acting like this," she says, looking over at her wife who immediately raises a hand to wipe away the remaining tears staining her cheeks.

"It's a normal reaction, Pipes. We've never left him for an extended period like this."

"How are you so calm about this?" the blonde sniffs, straightening her back and leaning her head sideways against her headrest so that their eye connection is still intact.

"I'm calm on the outside, but not so much on the inside," Alex admits, watching her wife with a loving gaze. "This was bound to happen, Pipes, it was just a matter of when."

"I know," Piper pauses, settling her head so that she's now facing forwards. "I miss him already."

"By all means, go back in there and I'll go relax on my own," the brunette says, trying not to sound too serious.

"Al," the blonde begins, turning back to face her wife while reaching a hand across to rest on top of Alex's. "You know I can't wait to spend some time alone, just give me a minute to adjust."

"If you say so," the dark-haired woman responds, turning on the car engine. "Imagine what it'll be like when he starts school," she begins, pulling her hand away from under Piper's grasp to put the car in gear. "A fucking field day," she concludes, putting her foot down on the accelerator as she guides their vehicle out of the gates guarding the Chapman home and onto the road.

* * *

Despite her initial insecurities that arose from the idea of leaving for a much needed break, Piper's mood soon changed, as when they arrived and saw their hotel suite - something she reminded herself to thank her parents for, the blonde realised just how badly she had craved some child-free time to relax. Not to mention being able to spend some quality time with Alex; and by _spending time_ , she knew _exactly_ how she wanted to be spending it.

With her maternity leave coming to an end and Alex's busy timetable of clients, the women were often left with very little time allotted to just being alone - having a simple conversation that didn't revolve around grocery shopping or changing diapers was rare in some instances. She missed her wife, and as ridiculous as it sounds considering she sees her everyday, the blonde knows she won't be able to forgive herself if she didn't act on it - they did have more than enough time throughout their stay to make up for it.

So from where she's lying on a sunbed watching Alex's bikini-clad form retreating from the swimming pool in front of her, Piper removes her right hand from the book she was pretending to read, and lowers the tip of her black Clubmaster Ray-Ban sunglasses. She watches her wife nonchalantly grab her towel from the sunbed next to her own, whereby she dries her wet body, in which her movements accentuate her taut arms and abdominal region.

Without trying to make her sudden change in emotion too obvious - not wanting to come across as desperate considering what had happened between them the night before and in the shower this morning before breakfast, Piper sits up, placing her book back into her beach bag which is situated on the floor to her right.

"I think I might head back in for some more suncream," she begins, hoping her wife takes the bait.

"Isn't there some in your bag down there," Alex responds, placing her towel back down so that the drier side is facing upwards before putting on her aviator Ray-Bans and lying down.

"The factor I want is in the room," the blonde says, hoping the brunette will at least look her way. "Alex?" she probes after being ignored.

"Yeah," the dark-haired woman turns her head, giving a close-lipped smile as she raises a hand above her head to block out the sun from her eyes.

Piper, meanwhile, is distracted by her wife's new position; if she was feeling needy before, she isn't sure how to even describe how she's feeling now as her eyes scan over Alex's wet skin.

"Can you come with me?" the blonde asks, dragging her eyes away from Alex's cleavage, unsure if the woman before her can see her ogling eyes behind her sunglasses.

"You have two feet, don't you?" the brunette asks, unaware of the blonde's intentions.

"I also have two hands that'll be getting quite busy on their own if you don't come with me," Piper reveals, biting down on her lower lip as her eyes yet again deceive her.

"Oh, so that's why you want me to come," Alex says, slowly nodding her head in understanding.

"Yes - in more ways than one," the blonde huffs, trying to not let the sudden imagery bombarding her mind get the better of her. "Now hurry up," she adds, standing to throw on a cover up and grab their room keys, to which the brunette chuckles at her wife's demanding nature.

"To think you were crying a few days ago about leaving our son behind," Alex says once she joins her wife on a brisk walk back towards their hotel room.

"Don't."

"What? Talking about him is banned now?"

"When we're on our way to fuck: yes, Alex, that is banned," Piper whisper-shouts, aware that anyone around them could hear their conversation.

"Oh, I thought we were heading back to put suncream on?" the brunette jokes, in which she receives a slap on the arm.

"Shut up," Piper states, grabbing onto her wife's hand as though it would speed up the time it takes to reach the room they're staying in.


	35. Chapter 35

**I thought I'd release a chapter before Season 7's release tomorrow. It's definitely the end of an era, so I guess I'll finish my writing whenever I deem necessary based on the show's outcome as well as the motivation to continue based off a finished series.**

 **Please let me know what you think in the reviews!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"You look lovely this evening," Alex says as they walk side by side with their hands interlinked.

Piper, wearing a silver, thigh-high dress with matching heels, turns her head to the right so that she can smile at her wife.

"You've seen me in this dress several times, Al," the blonde says through a blush, trying to combat her increasing heart rate - something that seems to rocket sky-high whenever the woman swinging their hands gives her a compliment.

"Can't you ever just take a compliment," Alex chuckles, knowing how the blonde's embarrassment can get the better of her, before leaning over to whisper into her wife's ear. "I'm sure it'll look better on the bedroom floor though."

With the red flush adorning her cheeks increasing, Piper bites down on her lower lip before swaying her body sideways into the brunette's. "Shut up," she responds, pulling her hand away as they enter the beach bar they'd chosen to check out after finishing their dinner at a restaurant nearby.

A few more hours pass by along with a number of drinks, and in beginning to feel the effects of her alcohol consumption getting the better of her, Piper slides out of her side of booth that they were sitting in and announces she's going to the toilet.

Now on her own, Alex takes the moment of silence to look up at the flat screen television displaying worldwide news, and upon seeing a segment on the American stock exchange, she shuffles in her seat, edging her body forward slightly so that she can read the subtitles more clearly.

"I didn't peg you as an economist," an unfamiliar voice breaks Alex's trail of thought as her vision lowers from the bright screen down to the woman in front of her, sliding into the unoccupied side of the booth Piper had previously been sitting at.

"Sorry - someone's sitting there," the brunette responds, having not entirely heard what the woman had said over the sound of the music in the bar.

"I don't see anyone here?" the woman - who has tied up blonde hair and brown eyes - counters, tilting her head to the side while lifting up her wine glass to her lips. "Where abouts in the States you from?" the woman asks, and based on the accent that shines through on particular words, Alex guesses the woman is either American and moved to live in another country or vice versa.

"New York," she lies, not wanting to engage with the other woman.

"Yeah and I'm from Timbuktu," the woman chuckles. "You're way too laid back for that. How about telling the truth this time?"

"Brooklyn," Alex reveals, hoping that's all the woman wanted, but given the look on her curious face, she guesses that that was just the beginning of her probing.

"Nice place - they do good brunch there."

"You've been?"

"Here and there," the woman comments. "Born in the states, live in Ireland."

"I see," Alex attempts to end the conversation, yet giving herself an internal pat on the back at being correct with her earlier assumption.

With her eyes wandering over to the bathroom door, praying that Piper soon appears, the brunette's focus is once again impeded.

"What're you doing away from home then?" the woman asks.

"First break away from my son," Alex answers, hoping that'll get her message across.

"Oh, so you have a kid?" the woman asks out of surprise.

"Yep," Alex says, before lifting up her left hand and pointing towards the ring that's adorned her ring finger for the last 2 years. "And I'm _very_ happily married," she adds, emphasising the fact that she is indeed taken.

"Wow, your husband must be great considering… you know - he's left you here on your own," the woman says, raising her shoulders as though trying to prove some sort of point.

"Well, I wouldn't really know considering I don't have a husband," Alex reveals, hating the assumption that having a child immediately rose, yet regretting revealing to the woman clearly flirting with her that she wasn't into men.

"Ah, so I was right," the woman rolls her head back, smirking once their eyes reconnect.

"Look, my wife is going to be back here any minute, and I don't think she'd appreciate that you're in her seat," the brunette says roughly, straightening her posture.

"How about the space next to you there?" the woman asks, nodding her head down to gesture towards the empty space next to Alex considering she's seated in the middle of the chair.

"No," she responds, running a hand through her hair while letting out a huff. "I don't think you came here to talk to me about the stock exchange, so whatever it is, I'm not interested."

"Are you sure about that?" the woman asks while leaning forward, causing Alex's eyes to betray her and fall onto the woman's cleavage that's visible due to her tow-cut top.

"Yeah, Alex. Are you sure about that?" a voice adds to the mix - one of which Alex is most definitely familiar with, and given the way in which it was said, she knows she's fucked.

"Piper-" the brunette begins, but is cut off by the woman seated opposite her.

"So, this must be your wife then?" she asks, causing Piper to very visibly be stunned by the comment. "She's cute," she adds, looking over to Alex as though congratulating her.

"And you are?" Piper asks.

"Leaving," the brunette says, not wanting her wife to cause a scene.

"That doesn't matter," she responds, standing up and shuffling out of the booth, yet stopping in front of Piper. "You know, you suit each other. Maybe the two of you could join me in having a nightcap back at my hotel?" she asks, causing Piper's eyebrows to nearly shoot up to the top of her forehead.

"We're good, thanks," the taller blonde says firmly, giving a sarcastic, close-lipped smile, before moving to sit back down.

"Take this incase you change your mind," she says, reaching into her bra and pulling out a piece of paper - one of which Alex assumes has her number written on it. "The offer still stands until I leave on Friday," she concludes, before winking at Alex and finally leaving the women on their own.

"Holy shit, she wanted to have a threesome with us!" Alex voices, laughing at the situation that had unfolded.

"That's not funny, Alex," Piper counters, sounding serious. "I'm guessing that's not the only thing she offered you before I arrived."

"Oh, come on. You know nothing like that happened," the brunette says, raising her hands as though questioning her wife's insecurity.

"I walk over while my wife's staring at another woman's tits and then the same woman offers to have a threesome with me and said wife. Yeah, I must sound crazy right now, Al," Piper explains, her jealousy clearly showing.

"I wasn't staring at her chest, Pipes, and how is it my fault she thought we're hot together?"

"You know what? I'm not doing this with you right now," the blonde says, letting out a huff while moving to get up. "Can I have the room key?"

"So you're leaving now, are you?"

"Well I'm not really having a good time considering that new friend of yours is still watching us," Piper responds through gritted teeth, jutting her head over to where the woman that they thought had left was indeed still sitting at the bar, eyes glued on their table.

"For fuck sake, Piper: we're married! Why the fuck do you always do this?" Alex asks, also getting up from her seat to lead the way out of the beach bar, sensing their evening is now over. "I asked you to marry me for a reason, Piper, and if I wanted to be with anyone else, I wouldn't have gone through with it! We have a child for God sake!" the brunette adds angrily, the vein in her neck revealing her sudden bout of frustration.

"Al, calm down," Piper says, attempting to diffuse the situation from breaking out into a full-scale argument, especially as their evening - before it was rudely interrupted - had been enjoyable.

Turning to face her wife, Alex's eyes suddenly darken while her expression remains unreadable.

"Stay here," she voices, before turning back and stepping back into the bar they had just left.

Piper, meanwhile, stands in the middle of the empty sand path that they had been walking along, wondering why on earth her wife had gone back inside.

Another few minutes pass by, and after squirming and shifting her body weight on the spot, Piper views the brunette stepping back out the bar area - her expression still unreadable. She finds herself clenching down on her jaw at the sight of the familiar woman also - coincidentally - leaving the bar area, and despite her voice asking a patronising question, Piper's vision is overtaken by the oncoming body belonging to her wife.

Before she can so much as greet Alex, the blonde is pulled into a passionate kiss while she feels two firm hands rest on her ass, squeezing the skin. The act of affection was one she found unexpected - and although they had just encountered a small riff disrupting the flow of their evening, the act was very welcomed.

"Who did I propose to while she was washing the dishes?" Alex asks, breaking the kiss and resting their foreheads together.

"Me," Piper breathes out quietly.

"Who did I marry just over 2 years ago?"

"Me."

"Who is the most amazing mother that makes me crumble every time I see her with our son?"

"Me," the blonde answers, feeling entirely reassured and touched by her wife's words.

"I love you, Piper. Don't ever doubt that."

"I know you do," she pulls back, placing her right hand on Alex's cheek. "And I love you too."

"Wanna say goodbye to my friend?" the brunette asks in a teasing manner as she pulls away to grab her wife's hand.

"I think she got the message," Piper chuckles, her heart swooning as Alex tilts her head back as she too laughs. "Why did you go back in there?" the blonde adds.

"I may have ordered some drinks to arrive back in our room," the brunette reveals, letting out a toothy smile at the look of surprise on the blonde's face.

The pair begin to continue back down the sandy path until Piper opens her mouth in question.

"Who is going to fuck me sideways when we get back into the room?"

Smirking as she looks over at the blonde biting down on her lower lip, Alex smirks.

"Me."

* * *

"Pipes - I have everything under control," Alex pauses, adjusting her shoulder so that her mobile device resting between her ear and shoulder feels more comfortable. "I know you're busy right now; you don't have to worry about us."

"I know," the blonde responds, audibly sighing down the phone. "I just miss him, that's all."

For one of the rare times it happens, Alex finds herself agreeing with what her wife is saying and not somewhat thinking about the dramatic undertones her statements often provide. They'd arrived back from their holiday two days ago, but with their up-and-coming sale at PoPi, Piper found herself working early mornings and late nights throughout the weekend, leaving Alex at home alone with their son.

"Did he eat his breakfast okay?" Piper asks, wanting to have all of her worried quashed before she switches off mother mode and enters work mode.

"Yep," Alex responds, the sound of her placing something onto the draining board making noise in the background. "He cried for a bit when it wasn't you giving it to him, but he stopped once he figured out he preferred me anyway," she jokes, knowing her wife must be rolling her eyes on the other side of the line.

"Call me if you need anything, babe," the blonde says - a sign that she can't really afford to talk on the phone for much longer. "Al?" she asks, given the fact that she wasn't given any form of response. "Alex?"

"Holy shit!" Alex's voice shouts down the phone - an indication that whatever is happening on her end is enough to elicit some sort of heightened emotion.

"What? Is everything okay?!" the blonde asks, her one-track mind immediately fearing that something had happened to their son.

"He just walked," the brunette reveals through a chuckle. "He just took his fucking first steps, Piper," she confirms, the pride in her voice evident.

"He did!" Piper responds down the phone, elated to hear of her son achieving such an important life milestone, but that feeling soon disappears and is replaced with sadness. "I missed it," she says quietly, her voice revealing that she's already beginning to well up with tears.

"Pipes-" Alex begins, not exactly knowing how to stop her wife from getting too worked up over not being home.

"I fucking missed it, Alex," she repeats, sniffing at the end of the line.

"He's gonna do it again, Pipes. There's loads of other things he'll do that you'll get to see for the first time."

"I'll come home for lunch," the blonde digresses, sounding serious.

"He'll still be here by the time you finish work and so will his legs and feet," Alex chuckles, knowing how badly Piper wants to come home to see their son in person. "Just a few more hours, babe."

"I'll have to see how busy we get," the blonde counters, her mind still set on going home as soon as she possibly can.

"I'll tell him you said hi."

"Tell him to wait for me before he starts running the fucking marathon."

"With your exact wording?" Alex asks jokingly, knowing how much Piper hates swearing around their son.

"I'll see you later, Al," the blonde chuckles, knowing her wife was kidding.

"Enjoy working!" Alex responds through a smile, laughing as the phone line dies.

Walking over to where Jax is now seated on the floor with his legs spread out in front of him, Alex walks so that she's seated a few steps opposite and sits down, propping her phone up against the bottom of the kitchen counter to her side and pressing record.

Spreading out her arms with some words of encouragement, Alex smiles as she watches her son eventually manage to push himself up and take two small steps before catching him in her arms.

"You did it, bud!" Alex laughs, rubbing her son's stomach as he laughs through his toothless mouth. "Wave to mommy," she adds, shifting her body to the right to try and get the little boy to look towards her phone.

Proud of her son's achievement, Alex lets him sit down on her lap as she grabs her phone, turns off the record button, and sends the video to her wife, awaiting her response.

No more than two minutes later, the brunette's phone vibrates, and as she checks her message, her suspicions were all but confirmed.

 _Piper: I'll be home by 2._


End file.
